refried beans

[Guest guest]

I'm behind in emails so this is a response to a couple day old post.

I made refried beans once a week. I make quite a bit as my 13 year old son (the

bottomless pit!) eats them almost everyday.

 

I don't measure much so these amounts are estimates.

 

I take a quart jar full of dried pinto beans, sort and wash them them put them

in a crock pot. I add 2 quart jars of water, 2-3 Tbsp vegetable bullion, 2 Tbsp

olive oil, 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp dried onion, 2 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp chili

powder. I let it soak overnight and in the morning turn it to low. I check to

see if more water needs to be added or the seasonings adjusted during the day.

About dinner time I put it all in a big cast iron dutch oven with some oil in

the bottom and cook it on low while I mash it with a potato masher and stir it

while I cook the seasoned rice and either fry bread or whatever else we are

having.

 

My husband says these are better than the Mexican restaraunt and my 13 year old

son eats bowls with cheese for a snack or in burritos or with chips almost

everday.

 

Michelle

[Guest guest]

Dear Michelle,

 

Thanks for the refried beans recipe. I have a batch of beans (for burritos)

in the fridge right now, slow cooked in my solar oven yesterday. My 8-yr

old son, especially, devours them. I usually use pinto beans, but sometimes

try black or Cuban beans, which are really delicious as well in burritos or

empanadas. So far I've followed a very simple recipe from a Guatemalan

friend which involves dicing up an onion and adding some bay leaf to cook

with the beans, with a fair amount of salt to season once cooked. When

roling them up for burritos, it's generally with cheese, enchilada sauce,

and raw onion for myself. If we have it on hand we'll add seasoned rice and

guacamole.

 

Since I don't pre-soak the beans I don't drain the water (I of course wash

them well before cooking). Just curious whether you drain leftover water

from overnight soaking? Folklore at least seems to say that you need to

soak and drain water from beans once or more to prevent flatulence or

intestinal gas formation, but I've never found this to be an issue, nor has

my son. Perhaps the slow-cooking eliminates this problem?

 

all the best,

Richard Menec