Mayocoba or Bayo Beans (Frijoles de Olla)

Recipe by: Leslie Brenner

Mayocobas and bayos are two of my favorite beans: They cook up relatively quickly to delicious creaminess, needing nothing more than a little onion and/or garlic, water and salt along the way. Have a few dried avocado leaves, or some fresh epazote or cilantro? Even better. You can eat them straight out of the pot with some of their broth, and they reheat beautifully. Or you can turn them into refried beans.

Bayo beans means different things to different people in Mexico. Strictly speaking, the word refers to a particular bean, frijol bayo, that is one of the most commonly eaten throughout the country, particularly in and around Mexico City (where a bayo called flor de mayo is very popular) and in Mexico’s central states. It comes in shades of brown, from tan to pinky-brown to cafe con leche. It is similar in size and shape to a pinto bean, but its skin is thinner, it cooks more quickly and it coo…