Gallina Pinta

Ingredients

• 250 g dried pinto beans, soaked overnight
• 1 kg beef short ribs, cut into pieces
• 500 g beef shin, cut into 4 cm chunks
• 3 litres water
• 1 white onion, halved
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled
• 5 chile colorado or guajillo chillies, stemmed and seeded
• 500 g cooked hominy, drained
• 2 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
• 1 bunch coriander, chopped
• 3 limes, cut into wedges
• 1 white onion, finely diced, to serve
• 6 dried chiltepin chillies, crushed
• 12 flour tortillas

Before you cook

• Drain the soaked beans and rinse them.
• Stem and seed the dried red chillies.
• Dice the second onion and chop the coriander for the table.

Steps

1. Put the short ribs and shin in a large pot with the water, halved onion and garlic.
2. Bring the pot to a boil and skim the foam for the first 5 minutes.
3. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cover the pot.
4. Cook for 45 minutes, until the meat has firmed and the broth smells beefy.
5. Add the drained beans to the pot.
6. Simmer covered for 1 hour 15 minutes, until the beans are creamy and the beef is falling from the bone.
7. Toast the dried chillies in a dry pan for 45 seconds a side, until fragrant.
8. Cover the toasted chillies with hot broth and soak them for 15 minutes.
9. Blend the chillies with a ladleful of broth until completely smooth.
10. Strain the chilli purée into the pot through a sieve.
11. Add the hominy, salt and oregano.
12. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, until the broth turns red and thickens slightly.
13. Taste and add more salt if the beans have absorbed it.
14. Ladle the stew into deep bowls, giving each one a piece of rib.
15. Serve with diced onion, coriander, crushed chiltepin, lime wedges and warm flour tortillas.