Chitas Refried Beans Recipes

Steps:

• Heat canola oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.
• Cook garlic cloves in hot oil, turning once, until brown on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Smash garlic cloves in skillet with a fork.
• Stir pinto beans, cumin, chili powder, and salt into mashed garlic and cook until beans are thoroughly heated, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
• Smash bean mixture with a potato masher to desired texture. Squeeze lime juice over smashed beans and stir until combined.

Steps:

• Sort and wash beans carefully. The bag of dried pintos may have small pebbles, so be sure to sort those out. Dont' want to break a tooth!
• Place beans in a large pot and add cold water to cover by at least two inches.
• Bring to a boil, drain and add new water to cover by at least four inches.
• Add the onion and the garlic, bring to a boil.
• Season with salt and reduce to a simmer.
• Place lid over the pan, leaving a small bit of edge uncovered to let steam escape.
• Cook beans until tender, at least a few hours. The onion and garlic will probably fall apart while cooking. Monitor to make sure they don't go dry.
• Drain beans BUT RESERVE THE LIQUID!
• In a large cast iron skillet, melt the lard (or vegetable oil) then add the corn tortilla and the chile pods.
• Fry the tortilla until dark brown but not burned. The chiles should also be fried until brown but not burned. Remove from pan and discard.
• Carefully add the drained beans a little at a time. It WILL splatter at first. Mash them with a potato masher as you go, adding some of the cooking liquid so that they remain a bit soupy.
• Once all the beans are in and mashed, keep them over a medium-low flame, stirring frequently. A wooden paddle or spoon works best.
• Refry until the beans have lost some of their liquid. You will notice that the beans will pull away from the sides and bottom of the pan looking a little dry. That's good! Just keep stirring and scraping the sides and bottom until you have the right consistency. This will take at least 20 minutes to half an hour for really GOOD refried beans.
• Adjust seasoning and serve.
• NOTE: How soupy or dry the end product is is a matter of taste. We like ours so that when put on the plate, they will spread but not be runny.
• HEALTHY OPTION: You can serve these without refrying them. After Step #7, adjust the salt seasoning and serve the beans and cooking liquid in small bowls with finely chopped onion and cilantro.

Steps:

• Lightly drain the beans, reserving the juice from the tin, but do not rinse (you want the beans in about half the liquid from the can). Depending on the texture you prefer, either mash them roughly in a bowl or blitz them using a blender until smooth. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan or casserole and cook the onions for 8-10 mins until soft and golden. Scatter in the garlic, chilli and cumin seeds, and sizzle everything for 2 mins more. Tip in the beans, oregano, paprika and a pinch of salt. Cook everything together for 5 mins until the beans have heated through adding more reserved bean juice if it's too thick. Serve straightaway with a sprinkling of coriander, if you like, or leave to cool and keep chilled. Will keep chilled for up to three days or frozen for a month. Reheat with a splash of water mixed in.