I just learned that "refried" is a mistranslation - they're "well-fried," not really fried twice. The idea is more along the lines of cooking them "well," as in for a good long time. Aim for a long, slow cook on the beans. When the beans are done, making them into "refried" is fast, about 10 minutes.
It's definitely quicker if you start with a can of beans, but you'll get better flavor if you start from dry because you can add onion, etc, into the flavoring right from the start. I also think the texture is better if you cook from dry. (And, it's really not much work: this is one of those work for a few minutes and ignore for a few hours things)
Use a crockpot for the best results. There's no need to pre-soak. I was skeptical about skipping the soak, but with the cockpot, our results have been great regardless of soaking.
Use ~1 cup dry pinto beans, a chopped onion, and a spoonful of lard/bacon drippings/oil (you'll want some kind of fat). Cover with a few inches of water. We set our crockpot to high. In 5-6 hours, the pintos will be velvety and perfectly cooked. Save some of the cooking liquid!
You can use the beans for a lot of things now. To "refry" them: Heat another dollop of lard/bacon drippings/etc in a saucepan. Saute some garlic for 1-2 minutes, add your pintos with enough cooking liquid to just reach the beans. Cook gently until it starts to thicken. Mash the beans with a potato masher. Salt to taste. We stir in some chopped peppers at this point too, for heat.
Very foolproof and perfect texture on the beans! The crockpot method works just as well for black beans. You can change up the fats too. We've used a variety of options. You can use the drippings from whatever you're going to serve with the beans, like chorizo for ex.
Refried Black Beans
Recipe Courtesy Sara Moulton
2 (32-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups water
3 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon cumin
Puree 2 cans of black beans in 2 cups water in food processor. Heat the lard or other fat in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onions with the salt and cumin until golden, about 10 minutes. Add the beans and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the liquid evaporates and the beans form a creamy mass that pulls away from the bottom and sides of the pan, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
4 Comments
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/29/recipe-easy-slow-cooker-refried-beans/
It's definitely quicker if you start with a can of beans, but you'll get better flavor if you start from dry because you can add onion, etc, into the flavoring right from the start. I also think the texture is better if you cook from dry. (And, it's really not much work: this is one of those work for a few minutes and ignore for a few hours things)
Use a crockpot for the best results. There's no need to pre-soak. I was skeptical about skipping the soak, but with the cockpot, our results have been great regardless of soaking.
Use ~1 cup dry pinto beans, a chopped onion, and a spoonful of lard/bacon drippings/oil (you'll want some kind of fat). Cover with a few inches of water. We set our crockpot to high. In 5-6 hours, the pintos will be velvety and perfectly cooked. Save some of the cooking liquid!
You can use the beans for a lot of things now. To "refry" them: Heat another dollop of lard/bacon drippings/etc in a saucepan. Saute some garlic for 1-2 minutes, add your pintos with enough cooking liquid to just reach the beans. Cook gently until it starts to thicken. Mash the beans with a potato masher. Salt to taste. We stir in some chopped peppers at this point too, for heat.
Very foolproof and perfect texture on the beans! The crockpot method works just as well for black beans. You can change up the fats too. We've used a variety of options. You can use the drippings from whatever you're going to serve with the beans, like chorizo for ex.
Refried Black Beans
Recipe Courtesy Sara Moulton
2 (32-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups water
3 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon cumin
Puree 2 cans of black beans in 2 cups water in food processor. Heat the lard or other fat in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onions with the salt and cumin until golden, about 10 minutes. Add the beans and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the liquid evaporates and the beans form a creamy mass that pulls away from the bottom and sides of the pan, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2007/03/life-pursuit-refried-beans.html