Pintos and Caldillo

"The greatest dishes are very simple" - Auguste Escoffier

Jeri kept it close to our roots tonight.. sort of. Pintos stewed with smoked hocks and a simple but flavorful caldillo.

I say, "sort of" because, while pinto beans are a mainstay in any Mexican, Chicano or southwestern kitchen, ham hocks are not. Nevertheless  ham hocks, along with smoked pork shanks, found a way into Jeri's pintos years ago and they have stayed. I ain't  complaining.

 

The caldillo is something that Jeri has made long before I knew her. She learned from her mother; the late great, Josephine Huizar. It was one of those cheap simple dishes that got us through the learn hard years, way back when.

Anyway, this is my long-winded  way of saying, tonight's supper was a knockout!