Who doesn’t love the creamy lardy goodness that is refried beans? Whether at your local Mexican joint with a fishbowl sized margarita on the side or at home out of a can, they satisfy, right? What if I said you can make them at home cheaper, healthier, tastier and pretty damn easily? Don’t believe me? Here’s how:
Step 1: Get yourself a slow cooker! Godsend. I start this in the morning before I leave for work. I pick out some dried beans, usually pintos, sometimes black beans for this. I throw enough beans in to cover the bottom of the pot then add a couple of inches of water above the bean level. I put in a big spoonful of coconut oil (but any oil would work here, you could even use lard ?) then add bay leaves, a couple of whole dried chilis, sometimes a couple of smashed and peeled garlic cloves if I’m feeling it. Then I set it to low and forget it until I get home from work later.
The house smells great when I get home and here’s where the magic happens. Turn off the heat on the cooker and drain the water. I am not super thorough on the water drain because a little bean juice helps the alchemy that ensues. Remove the bay leaves (toxic to eat, I always put in 3 so I know exactly how many I need to fish out later), take out the peppers, but leave the garlicky goodness (if using). Then I add some salsa, (red, green, whatever you like) or if I’m out of salsa sometimes I’ll substitute V8 juice. Just some extra liquid to flavor things and help thin the mixture for the immersion blender that will turn everything nice n’ creamy dreamy. A regular manual potato masher works too, but is more work and hard to get them really creamy. Might need to add liquid as you go along to get the desired texture and you can leave it as chunky as you want. We tend to go a little more liquidy in our house. I’m usually adding spices and seasonings and correcting as I’m blending but you can add it all in the beginning or the end. I use typical Mexican spices like chili powder, cumin, sea salt, sometimes oregano. Spice blends work here too, you could even just use a packet of pre-made chili or taco seasoning.
We use the beans to make all kinds of yummy meals including tostadas, tacos, tortas, burritos. You can also add meat to any of these, if that’s your thing.
