I add a bit of chicken broth (always cook my dried beans in chicken broth) and top with some cheese, heat til warmed thru and cheese is melted.

Oh Shambo, aren't those beans good in the Mexican restaurants! I love them. I've made refried beans from scratch and didn't use lard. They were not nearly as good. I added a little minced onion, but I think lard is the secret.

I'm going to try your chicken broth trick Roselin.

REFRIED BEANS
1/4 cup lard or bacon dripings
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups well-seasoned cooked whole pinto beans + 1 cup of the cooking liquid
Salt to taste

Warm the fat in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onions & garlic & saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the drained beans to the skillet & mash them with a potato masher, adding the liquid, a TBL at a time until you get a fairly smooth, moist consistency. Continue to cook, stirring up from the bottom with a spatula until the beans become a smooth paste.~~

This is the renown Rick Bayless recipe and I haven't tried it. He said this is a reduced fat version.

Fried Beans (Frijoles Refritos)

2 Tbsp rich-flavored pork lard, bacon drippings or fat rendered from chorizo sausage

1/2 to 1 small onion, finely chopped (optional)

2-1/2 to 3 cups dried pink pintos with their cooking liquid, which have been cooked well with some lard, bacon drippings or fat rendered from chorizo sausage, an onion and salt.

salt, if needed

3 to 4 Tbsps grated Mexican queso anejo or queso fresco, or other mild cheese

1. If using the onion and/or garlic, heat the fat in a medium size skillet over medium. Fry the onion until browned, 8 minutes; add the garlic and cook 2 minutes. Raise the heat to medium high.

2. Add one third of the beans and their broth to the skillet. Mash them with the back of a wooden spoon, or other blunt-bottomed instrument. When the beans are coarsely pureed, add the next third, mash, and then the final third. Let the beans simmer, stirring nearly constantly, until they are thick but a little softer than you want to serve them. Season with salt if needed. Garnish with grated or crumbled cheese.

Doing the old cut and paste, both recipes sound good.

Nancy

Well, making homeade beans in the crockpot is pretty easy. I eat canned beans all the time, being mostly vegetarian, but when I do get it together to make the from-scratch ones, they are miles better than the canned ones. I'm sure in mexican restaurants they make up a huge pot of beans fresh almost every day, since they have the critical mass to make it worthwhile.

I have a pot of pinto beans on cooking now. This is another one of those dishes where I don't really follow a recipe. I cover the beans with chicken broth,(A couple of inches above the beans) add two or three cloves of garlic, a little cumin and either some double smoked bacon or a smoked ham hock, depending on what I have available. Today I'm using bacon. Simmer until tender. I like to have a lot of liquid on my beans. Sometimes I serve them as a side as is, and some times I heat a little fat, saute a little garlic and add the beans, mashing some of them as they cook. Add a little of the liquid the beans cooked in to make it smooth. You can add a little extra cumin then too if you like. I like to serve them with a little melted cheese on top and some homemade salsa.

Ann

Canned refired beans have always been rather bland and yecch to me. That's why years ago I made up my own recipe, the thing is, it's a lot of work and you wind up with a whole lotta beans. I haven't made them in years.
Recently though, I had a yen for a bean burrito while I was standing in the Mexican food aisle of my supermarket. I saw we had a new line in...La Costena. They had refried canned pinto beans made in Mexico. I tried them. Not bad at all. I stirred in some extra chili powder and declared them pretty good. I keep a can in my pantry for whenever I get a yen for them.

Kennebunker, my favorite canned refried beans are the La Costena Refritos Negros (refried black beans). They have a slightly smokey flavor. I like them as is but also sometimes stir a can of drained whole black beans into them; they still taste good and that cuts down on the fat in a serving. Of course, homemade are the best and I just wing it when I cook black beans from scratch. Try the refritos negros from La Costena if they are available where you live.

Lee

I hope someone here will start stocking the La Costena brand refried pintos. The only thing I find here is the Old El Paso Brand and it is really quiet horrible. I like to cook my own pintos and make refried beans, but it's senseless to do so when I'm the ony one who will eat them.

Well, for what it's worth, I found an old recipe card upon which I scrawled a sort of recipe for refried beans. I used to call it frijoles with cheese, mainly because I adapted it more as a bean dip back when my DH used to devour the stuff. Neighbors liked it too.
1/2 lb. dry pinto beans
6 c.water
1 onion cut in eighths
1 lg.clove garlic minced
1 to 2 tsp.salt
2 Tbl bacon drippings
Cook all the above together for 4 hours til soft, add water as nec. * CHECK AND SEE IF PINTO BEANS HAVE TO PRESOAK. I HAVEN'T COOKED THEM IN YEARS AND DON'T REMEMBER.

2 tbl.bacon drippings
1/2 cup fine chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
Saute onion & garlic for a few min til softened and golden

NOW I'M TALKING FROM MEMORY BECAUSE I DIDN'T WRITE THIS DOWN.......Drain the beans, reserve the water they cooked in. I used to put some into a blender to hurry things along, esp. if I was doing a dip. if using a blender, or just mashing some by hand add bean water as needed for the consistency you want.
Start blending the beans with the drippings mixture. I HAVE TO ADMIT, I RARELY EVER "FRIED" THE BEANS, I TENDED TO JUST BLEND AND SIMMER.
1 4 oz.can chopped green chiles or jalapenos
1 tsp.vinegar
chili powder to taste
shredded cheddar cheese
I'd blend some chopped chiles, chili powder and the vinegar to taste, then I'd often mix in some cheese. Cheese is good on top, too.

I don't know why I add vinegar.I can't recall. I add a splash of it to chile too. I guess I saw something about it many years ago, tried it and liked it. It just seems to zip up the flavor for me.

In general, Mexican cooks call for lard opposed to bacon fat when making refried beans. I tend to use both depending on what is readily available.

When I'm in a hurry, I open a can of refried beans and doctor it up by sautng a little onion and garlic in some bacon fat or lard, then I add the beans and season with a little cumin. Sometimes, I add a little chili powder, but the cumin is the key to the wonderful flavor. I also add a little jalapeno for some heat. Also a can of Rotel's is a nice change.

When I have the time, I make my beans, either pinto or black, from scratch, sometimes using canned beans and sometimes using dried beans. After I have served the beans, if there are any left over, then they can be mashed and made into refried beans.

Here is my tried and true and loved bean recipe:

LINDAÂS BEAN SOUP

This recipe is my own concoction. I adjust all the spices and ingredients to my taste, so IÂll give you the basics, and you have to go with it from there. Be sure to go easy with the spices in the beginning because the flavors intensify as the cooking continues. You can always add more, but you canÂt remove what is already there.

**-Beans, either dry 16 oz. Bag (must soak overnight or follow directions on package) or canned about 4 cans (drain); (I use pinto or black beans)
-Bacon cut up (about ½ to 1 pound for a large pot)
-lard
-Onions & Garlic (chopped) (I use a large onion and a whole head of garlic)
-Chicken broth (about 3 32 oz. cans or cartons of broth)
-Sausage (4 or 5 links)
-Tomatoes (both chopped and whole) (fresh or canned) about 2 cans chopped and 4 fresh whole tomatoes
-Rotel tomatoes (one or two cans)
-Peppers fresh (jalapeno, Serrano, habanero) (I use one each-whole)
-Beer (one can)
-Cilantro (one bunch; the whole bunch including stems)
-Fresh Chives and/or green onions (one bunch)
-Oregano (fresh or dried) if using fresh herbs always use 3 times that of dried herbs
-Cumin (1/4 cup)
-Cayenne Pepper (one tablespoon)
-Chili Powder (1/4 cup)
-Salt & Pepper (freshly ground) to taste

I fry up the bacon, add a little lard, and add the onions and garlic. Be sure not to overcook the garlic or it will get bitter. If this happens, you might as well start over because burned garlic is really bad. Then I add the sausage and brown it. Again make sure you donÂt overcook the garlic. Then I add the broth, beans, a beer, the tomatoes, Rotel peppers, fresh peppers (I use one of each) and all the spices and then finish with water to cover the beans by about 2". Bring to boil (do not allow it to burn) and then reduce heat to simmer. Depending on whether I use dried beans or fresh beans, the cooking time will vary. With dried beans, it takes about 2 to 3 hours to cook. You can then serve the beans with sour cream, fresh chives, fresh tomatoes, fresh onions, pico de gallo and fresh cilantro.

Linda
Rockport, Texas

**When using black beans add 2 to 4 smoked ham hocks for great flavor.

I just wash a pound of pinto beans....I don't soak them....put them in a pot anc cover with water.....
While it's coming to a boil, I add a cut up onion and several cloves of garlic......and boil them for about 1/2 an hour....and add a can of chicken broth.....cover and cook until tender....adding more water so the liquid stays just at the top of beans.
When the beans are tender, I cook more with the lid off to further reduce the liquid and add about 3/4 tsp or more chili powder ( not the chili powder that is "chili seasoning" and contains oregano garlic salt and such...but that stuff which is dried red chilis)....and when the liquid is reduced somewhat...I start with the stick blender....
I don't want them smooth....just somewhat mashed.
Taste for seasonings.....they will need a lot of salt.....and pepper ( depends on how hot your chilis are....and how salty your broth).
I*f the rest of the meal is "lean" I will tos in a chunk of salt pork with the beans and remove when they are done....otherwise....they are very good without!
Linda C

Thank you all for the recipes. I live in Australia and I can only get El Paso refried beans. I made up my version of refried beans from a combination of all the recipes you had given on this thread, turned out scumptious and much better than any bought version.

helen

Glad you came up with your own version that worked, Helen.

I add some taco seasoning mixed with water, into canned refried beans.
If making from scratch, I "fry" in bacon fat.
That's how I was taught from a friend of mine who's mama is from Mexico.
She said it was important to use some of the bean gravy to keep them smooth. She also said that if you like them very smooth to do layers in the skillet and mash with a fine potato masher(round with lots of holes in it). If you like slightly beany refried beans use a regular masher(one wavy bar) or the back of a wooden spoon.
Make pintos with ham hock for the first meal with tons of fresh garlic. (She told me the house must smell of garlic as they simmer on the stove top.) LOL
And her cardinal rule..you can never have to much garlic or bacon fat. Mine will have a few bits of the shredded ham hock in it too.

Now if I could just get a good quick easy spanish rice recipe..I'd be in fiesta heaven!

Home made beans are the best. Basic beans must always have garlic and lots of it as above. I add a few dried red peppers to the water as they cook. I either soak them overnight first in a little baking soda, drain and rinse or pour off the water after they first come to a boil for those with touchy intestines (if you know what I mean). I add lard or bacon grease, or not, afterwards using as much of the liquid as you see fit, mash them with a potato masher or leave them whole. They are also good just whole and hot from the pot freshly cooked, less fat here.

Anyway, if you want to serve spanish rice, here's my quick recipe. Prep time is only about 5 minutes, then you just wait for rice to cook once you develop your own system. I never measure. It's better with fresh tomato but you can use a little canned tomato, tomato sauce, or a little left over salsa. Just don't over tomato it, it's not spaghetti.

Toss about one cup of rice into skillet or pot with about a tablespoon of veg oil over medium high heat. Lightly toast rice until about half of it looks whiter, don't let it burn. Finely dice about 1/4 onion and 1 clove garlic, toss in pan with rice, saute a minute or so, add a small chopped fresh tomato. Remove pan from heat and add enough water (or chicken broth) to cover about 3/4" over rice. I usually add a few bouillon cubes or chicken soup base. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring water to boil and let simmer over medium heat until most of water is absorbed. Then lower heat to low and cover to steam to almost dry. And that's it.

This is my favorite side dish for homemade tacos. It cooks while I prepare my tacos. You can add anything else you want while cooking, a few frozen green peas add color, chopped cooked chicken converts to main dish. Some central american countries use this recipe without tomato, add a little red pimento and use only water.