Recipes – № 14
Refried Beans
Refried beans are a Mexican staple that is usually prepared with black or pinto beans and pork fat. It's great in tacos, as a side for any number of Mexican dishes or even as part of a hearty, huevos rancheros-style breakfast.
If you cook dried beans or chickpeas more than occasionally consider getting a pressure cooker. In my experience it cuts cooking time (and energy use) down to about a third. Note however that with a pressure cooker you need to keep an eye on the stove to make sure the heat and pressure is neither too large nor too small - you can't exactly wander off and watch Three Amigos. Also, since you’re sealing the pot you're unable to check the beans for doneness until you depressurize them. If you want to be sure not to overcook the beans, be conservative in your estimate of the required time in the pressure cooker and finish cooking the beans unpressurized.
Serves 4 as a side
1 cup dried or 3 cups fresh black (turtle) beans or pinto beans
A generous ¼ cup of lard/rendered pork fat
1 medium-small onion
Dried beans are usually soaked in cold water for 8-12h before cooking. Don’t let this keep you from cooking beans right away though. Some argue they will taste even better without soaking as none of the flavor is washed away in the soaking water. Unsoaked beans will take longer to cook though. How much longer depends on the type of beans. I’d assume something like 30 minutes though you should rely on your taste buds, not your timer. To state the obvious, if you’re using fresh beans there is no need to soak them.
Cook the beans in salted water. The beans are done when all of them are soft - there is no such thing as al-dente beans. Dried beans could take well over an hour to cook, fresh ones much less, maybe 15-20 minutes.
While the beans are cooking, finely dice the onion and sauté in the pork fat in a small pot until soft. Drain the cooked beans, preserving some of the cooking liquid, and add the beans to the onions. Cook a few more minutes, add ½ cup of the cooking liquid and mash with a potato masher. Add more cooking liquid if needed – the beans will thicken as they sit and cool and the initial consistency should be thinner than what you want to end up with. Salt to taste.
Recipe adapted only slightly from Alice Waters’ superb The Art of Simple Food.
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