Frijoles- In My Kitchen

Frijoles in my kitchen! One of my jobs as a kid, was to help my mom in the kitchen. The jobs were pretty easy, chopping mostly. My favorite job was when I was asked to help clean the dried pinto beans. Many times, purchased in bulk, 5 pounds at a time, they contain broken beans and small stones. I remember sitting across the kitchen table from my mom and we would spread the beans out onto the table in between us. In no time those beans we free and clear of all stones and broken beans. I could still hear the sound of the beans as we pushed them into that large, empty stainless-steel pot. This one pot of beans would take us through many meals. On this blog post, I share with you a few of my favorite recipes prepared with homemade beans.    

Most asked question I get about beans is, “How do I get a more flavorful refried beans?”

Natural rendered pork lard can be found in most well stocked Mexican markets or Mexican carniceria(meat market). The key words are natural rendered. I confess that mom did use the lard that comes in a box because it was easy to find and kept in the refrigerator forever, lol! If that is all you can find, it’s ok, but it won’t have as much flavor as the natural rendered lard. The misconception about natural lard is that it’s unhealthy and bad for you. Any oil, or fat, in excess is not good. But the natural rendered lard is better than the boxed, better than vegetable or canola oil. It’s a fact. You are not cooking like this every day and you are not eating the whole pan of refried beans, right? All in moderation.

Frijoles de la Olla

Frijoles de la Olla

Fresh cooked pinto beans garnish with sliced serrano peppers, diced onion, cilantro and lime! Yes!

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Course: Beans

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 8 cups

Ingredients

• 3 cups of dry pinto beans
• 1 medium white onion quartered
• 1 whole bulb garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 serrano or jalapeño
• 2 chile de arbol
• Water
• salt to taste

Instructions

• Clean and then soak the beans overnight. Drain and rinse the beans. Cover with plenty of water. At least three inches above the beans. Add the aromatics.
• Bring up to a simmer. Partially covered, keep at a simmer or light boil for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until beans become tender. If water level gets low, add a little more hot water.  Add salt to taste once beans are tender. Remove aromatics.

Notes

Remove aromatics and cool completely before storing in an airtight container. They will keep in the refrigerator for a week or divide into 2 cup portions with enough broth to cover and freeze in airtight containers or quart size freezer bags.

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VIDEO LINK

https://animoto.com/play/vM9hKxoCMLk1lgRNMDI6Ig

Easy fried beans recipe!

Refried Beans

Technically these are fried beans. Once they cool and you re-fry them in more lard, they become refried beans. Add more traditional flavors to your fried pinto beans! Natural rendered pork lard(manteca), onion and serrano peppers are commonly used when preparing this recipe. Recipes will vary from one family to another. Enjoy!

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Course: Beans, sides

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 Servings

Equipment

• Large skillet

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons Natural rendered pork lard or you can use your favorite cooking oil
• 1/2 cup Onion, diced
• 1 Large Serrano pepper, minced some like to add a few whole chile de arbol too!
• 4 cups Fresh cooked pinto beans with some broth
• Salt, to taste

Instructions

• In a large skillet, preheat the pork manteca(or oil) at medium heat for a few minutes.
• Saute the onion and serrano for a good 6-7 minutes so it flavors the manteca(or oil).
• Pour in the beans with broth. Stir well to combine and let everything come up to a light simmer.
• After the beans simmer for about 7-8 minutes, use a bean masher or potato masher to cream the beans to the desired consistency. I like mine a little coarse. Continue cooking the beans, stirring as needed until beans reduce and become slightly thicker. Taste for salt.

Notes

Questions commonly asked:

Do I have to use lard? No. Use your favorite cooking oil

Do I Have to use pinto beans? Of course not. Black beans and frijol Peruano are two other popular choices

Can I use canned beans. Absolutely you can. The flavor may be slightly different, but still tasty!

How long will the refried beans last refrigerated? Best to enjoy them within 10 days. Keep them tightly covered in the coldest part of the refrigerator.

Can the beans be frozen. Yes! Defrost and heat in skillet with a little plash of water. Or manteca, lol!!

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Frijoles con Chorizo

There is nothing so appetizing as the aroma of chorizo sizzling on the stove top mashed with pinto beans and a warm flour tortilla!

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Course: Beans

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of pork lard or oil of your choice
• 9 oz. uncooked Mexican chorizo I used homemade chorizo which has less fat, so I added some for cooking.
• 1/2 cup white onion diced
• 1 serrano pepper minced
• 3 cups whole pinto beans in their broth about 1 cup bean broth
• *Crumbled Queso Fresco for garnish

Instructions

• In a large skillet, heat manteca(lard) to medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook for 6 to 8 minutes.
• Add the onions and chile serrano. Sauté for another 4 minutes. Add the beans and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.
• After they simmer for about 5 minutes, mash with a potato masher until desired consistency. If the beans become too dry, add a little more broth or water. Bring on the homemade flour tortillas and avocado! Yields 6 servings.

Notes

For a smoother bean, you could blend the beans in their broth on high before adding them to the cooked chorizo/onion mixture.

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Frijoles Borrachos, Charros, A la Charra (aka Drunken Beans) …..Just serve me a bowl already! LOL!

Frijoles Charros, Frijoles Borrachos, Drunken Beans!

These tasty beans were always on the stove top for any special Mexican dinner and especially for carne asada!! This simple version mom prepared did not include tomatoes, chorizo, hot dogs or ham. You can certainly add what you like.

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Course: Beans

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 8 strips of bacon cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 cups cooked pinto beans
• 1 cup broth from beans
• 1 serrano chile sliced into thick rings or minced
• 1 small white onion diced
• Handful of chopped cilantro plus, more for garnish
• 8 oz of a light beer
• salt and pepper
• Lime wedges for garnish

Instructions

• To a pot at medium heat, add the bacon and cook until browned. Add the onions, chile serrano and cilantro, stir well to combine. If you prefer to remove the bacon once cooked, you can do that. Add it back in before serving.
• Add the beans, liquid from the beans and the beer. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste, stir, cover and cook for a good 20 to 25 minutes. Taste for salt. Garnish with more cilantro and lime.

Notes

If you wanted to prepare these without beer, I like to replace the beer with low sodium chicken or beef broth. Garnish with lime wedges, cilantro, crema (Mexican cream) and warm tortillas or tostadas. These beans were always made with carne asada…

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Kicked Up Smoked Ham Beans

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Ingredients

• 2 cups dried pinto beans soaked overnight, washed and drained
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 serranos minced
• 3 chile de arbol
• 4 cloves garlic smashed
• Smoked ham bone
• 2 cups diced smoked ham
• 3 roma tomatoes diced
• 1/3 cup cilantro chopped
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Add the first 6 ingredients to a large dutch oven pot and cover with water 3 to 4 inches above the beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and continue cooking for 2 hours or until beans become tender.
• Once beans are tender, add all the remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper and cook for another 25 minutes. Yields up to 8 servings.

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Frijoles Refritos con Chile Colorado

Add some chile colorado to your fried pinto beans for more flavor!

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Course: Beans

Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

• 4 cups pinto beans cooked with their broth
• 4 dried chile ancho stems and seeds removed)
• 2 cloves garlic sliced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Pinch of oregano
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup chicken broth or more bean broth
• 2 tablespoons pork manteca lard or oil of your choice

Instructions

• Transfer the chile ancho to a saucepan of simmering water. Cook for 7 to 9 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes.
• While the chiles are cooling, in a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoon of manteca (lard) or oil to medium heat. Add the beans and bring to a simmer. Drain the chile anchos and transfer to the blender. Add the cumin, oregano, garlic, salt to taste, and ½ cup water or chicken broth. Blend on high until smooth, set aside.
• Add the chile ancho sauce to the beans, stir well to combine. When it comes to a boil, add the other ½ cup or more of chicken or bean broth and reduce heat to a low simmer, stirring often. Taste for salt and while the beans are simmering, mash with a potato masher until desired texture. Cook until liquid is reduced by half.

Notes

These are the beans that mom would prepare for her bean and jalapeño tamales! You must make sure you cook them down until they are very thick and literally slide across the bottom of that skillet! If they are too loose, they will shoot out of the tamal as it steams! Lol! Been there!

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