One of the most common ingredients in the Mexican kitchen has to be beans. We eat beans every day, and often, more than once a day. Beans make an appearance at the breakfast, lunch or dinner table, whether as a side dish or the main event. Beans are delicious, good for you and easy on the budget. No wonder they are a staple in the Mexican diet!
I often joke and say when a Mexican girl gets married, one of the wedding gifts will always be a pressure cooker (along with a blender), so this modern girl can cook beans at the drop of a hat. No soaking required, a pressure cooker cooks beans in 40 minutes and then you can carry on with your day. Aren’t we all about convenience nowadays?
There are many varieties of beans eaten in Mexico, but the most common are pintos, bayos, Peruanos or black turtle. There are also delicious varieties only available regionally that are well worth seeking out. If you live outside Mexico like I do, you may find pintos and black beans most easily, but you can make this recipe with whatever beans you have available. The technique will be the same.
If you’re in a pinch, you can make these refried beans from canned beans, but I encourage you to make them from scratch, as you can control the amount of sodium going into the recipe, as well as stay away from preservatives (and you can make so much more for a fraction of the cost).
To cook beans, the most important thing is to have enough water, so think for one part beans, there should always be at least 3-4 parts water. I add a few cloves garlic and a chunk of onion and a tablespoon of dried epazote to the pot (if you’re lucky to have fresh epazote, throw in a few sprigs) along with just a bit of salt (I always add more salt after, so just a bit in the pot is good to start seasoning them). Close the lid of the pressure cooker, bring it up to high pressure and set the timer to 40 minutes. If you’re cooking them in the slow cooker, then cover them and cook on slow for about 8 hours, until beans are tender.
Once you have cooked beans, store them in the fridge in their broth and use for this refried beans recipe of whatever else you desire. You can also freeze them for later use. This recipe is made in the blender for very smooth beans, but if you prefer chunky beans, simply mash using a potato masher after you add them to the pan.
FRIJOLES REFRITOS
Refried Beans
4 cups cooked beans in broth
4 Tbsp manteca or vegetable oil
1 cup chopped white Spanish onion
1 Jalapeño chile, minced
2-3 Tbsp dried ground ancho or guajillo chile, or 1 dried ancho or guajillo chile, seeded, deveined, rehydrated and finely chopped (optional)
Salt to taste
Crumbled cotija or feta cheese for garnish (optional)
In blender jar, place beans and broth. You should have about 2 cups broth, and if not, add some water to make up for the difference. Blend until smooth.
In large saucepan, heat oil or lard. Cook onion and Jalapeño until soft and translucent.
Add the beans and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer, stirring often, until beans reduce and thicken. The beans should be compact, but not dry. If they dry out too much, add some water or broth.
Serve the beans garnished with crumbled cheese on top.
Makes about 3 cups.