Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Refried Beans

1 lb. dried pinto beans (pick through, wash, soak overnight and drain; or bring cleaned beans to a boil in a little cold water to cover, boil one minute, turn off and cover, let soak for an hour, drain). Add one quart salted water, simmer covered for 20-45 minutes—only until just cooked but not mushy.

In the meantime, pan fry ½ lb. chorizo, or sausage, or ground beef, and set aside. Saute 3 cloves chopped garlic, 1 large onion, 1 tsp. cumin seeds.

Drain the cooked beans, save the liquid.

Mash the beans, add them to the meat and the onion mixture.

Add ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, ¼ cup fresh lard (this is optional—you can add butter instead or skip it altogether), 1 cup grated jack cheese, fresh ground pepper to taste. Add a little of the reserved liquid until it’s the consistency you like, simmer while stirring for a few minutes.

For a healthy alternative, see the recipe for Pinto Beans.

2 comments:

Judy said...

I love pinto beans anyway you fix them. My girls will love this recipe for refried beans. I will have to send them your site.

Northanna said...

I love to use pinto beans (canned) as a base for tacos. I usually try to add some onions while I have them on the stove warming up. I start piling up the food on the tacos ~ the special tomatoes (Albertson's) from Arizona (delicious) that I have cut up and then put shredded lettuce over that and then add shredded Mexican cheese. Top it off with a salsa made in Mexico that is perfect and delicous. Then what goes over that is a layer of snippets from the green leafy delicous vegetable (that I simply cannot dial up the name for!). But my husband loves these tacos.