Homemade Refried Beans and Tortillas

If you are like me, then you tend to take advantage of the convenience of the canned bean. Black, pinto, red and re-fried alike. While we can find canned re-fried beans at foreign stores here in Beijing, they cost upwards of $5 US per can. For just about $2.00 a batch, I can make enough beans to last us a long time. Since they can be frozen and easily re-heated, it makes sense to make a lot at once. Check out my simple, tried and true recipe below. I started with an Emeril Lagasse recipe and have tweaked it a little bit each time. Since the last batch I made was super yummy, I thought I'd share my tips! 

First, soak a bunch of pinto beans in a bowl of water. This time I used about one pound of beans. Just put them in a bowl of water overnight. By doing this, the cooking time is reduced the next day.
 Next, boil the beans until they are really soft. Mine took about 45 minutes.

Including some of the water from the pot, put the beans in a blender or food processor. The amount of water you use will vary depending on what consistency you are going for. Use less than I did if you want a thicker consistency.

You may also choose to mash your beans by hand, but here at the Andersen's we like them smooth and creamy!

While the beans are boiling I prepare my other ingredients. You can use whatever you have on hand. This time I used red onion, garlic and a red chili pepper along with about a teaspoon each of  salt, black pepper and cumin (to taste). The cumin gives it a great flavor. In the past I've used different combinations of white onion, green bell pepper, fresh green chilies, garlic salt or green onions. I think some lemon or lime juice would be yummy, too.

Using the same pot you used to boil the beans (trust me, it makes clean-up so much easier), saute the vegetables and spices together in some fat until the onions are very tender. I used a couple of spoonfuls of reserved bacon grease, but you can use cooking oil, shortening or cooking spray.

I remembered that I had a little ripe chopped tomato left over, so I threw those in, too. Why not?

When the vegetable mixture is ready, pour the beans over top and continue to cook over high heat, stirring until the ingredients are well combined and the beans reach the consistency you like.  They will thicken up as you go. Be really careful not to let them burn. It's just like when you burn popcorn...one burned spot ruins the flavor of the whole batch.

We like cilantro, so I add a few handfuls at the end of cooking. 

We can usually by Bimbo brand tortillas here, which are actually quite good, but recently they have been in short supply. This week I had time to make my own. Not as easy as opening a bag, but easier than baking bread or making a batch of cookies. Here's our family's favorite recipe:

Flour Tortillas-

Mix:
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Make a well in the middle and add:
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup very hot water

Stir well and then turn onto a floured surface and knead for a couple of minutes until the dough is smooth.
Divide into 8-16 balls (depending on what size tortillas you like, and let rest for a few minutes before rolling them out. Get them as thin as possible and fry in a hot, dry skillet, turning until each side has lovely brown speckles. Best when fresh and hot, but they will keep in a sealed container for a couple of days as well.

If you try either recipe, let me know how it turns out!