Refried Beans is another one of those foods that I make pretty regularly. The boys love them, its extremely versatile, they freeze perfectly and its unbearably inexpensive.
This is everything you need. It could not be simpler.
I'm not a hotshot for specific measurements, I cook on smell, sight, taste and occasionally sound. But I realize that this fact annoys a lot of people, so I'll do my best to give you an idea of amounts here. Like anything when you cook, if you want less or more- adjust and don't doubt yourself.
1 1/2 pounds of dried pinto beans.
2 -3 yellow onions
A package of salt pork
3-4 garlic cloves
ground cumin--- maybe a few teaspoons full? This is the one that depends on smell.
Chicken Stock.
The first thing you must do is soak the beans. Before you go to bed the night before you make them, throw the beans in a big bowl and cover them with a lot of water. Really cover them well. You can't over water the beans, so don't be afraid.
In the morning strain the beans and give them a rinse.
Put them in a crock pot.
To the pot add the onions, which have been peeled and quartered, the salt pork which has been sliced up, and the garlic cloves which have been smashed when you took the paper skin off.
Sprinkle the cumin over all of the other ingredients. When it smells really good, thats when you know you have enough. If you are afraid of spice, you can always be conservative and add a little bit later on. No salt is needed, the salt pork will cover that. I suppose you could put in some pepper if you'd like, whatever floats your boat.
In my freezer, at any given time is a bag full of chicken bones, scraps and skin and a bag of vegetable scraps and peelings. -onions, celery, carrots, potatoes primarily.
When I have time, usually in the evening when I watch TV, I put all of that stuff in a big pot , cover it in water add a bit of salt and then simmer it on low for a while, then I strain it and BOOM, everyone thinks I'm a highly skilled cook when in fact, I'm just really, really cheap and can't stand the idea of buying stock, or using salt filed bouillon cubes.
Believe me, once you get the hang of stock, you'll never go back, but if you must- use store bought stock or the cubes. Do what you've got to do, I won't judge.
Once your beans are in the crock pot (you could do this on the stove on low too) you are done. You might want to keep an eye on it from time to time to make sure the beans are still covered in liquid. I really cover them in liquid so I don't have to check. I've murdered a few good pots for lack of bean checking.
About 3-4 hours later, test the beans- you want them very soft. This is the key to optimal digestion. Believe me when I tell you that you don't want to serve your family (particularly boys) anything but well cooked beans. Soft, squish-able with a spoon is what you're after.
Next, you blend them. Hopefully you have one of these nifty immersion blenders. If you don't, you could use a regular blender or processor, but you'd probably want to let the beans cool a bit if you do that so you don't cause yourself harm. (Speaking from experience here)
Finally, if you are finding that your beans are too runny- DON'T DESPAIR!!! Its a super easy fix.
The first thing to do is to just let them sit there uncovered for a little bit. Let them steam and a lot of the excess liquid will evaporate. Then, if you still need to make them thicker- just add a little bit of whole wheat flour to them. Sprinkle it on, and then run the blender again. Keep repeating until you get to the consistency you like.
Then, well, then just let people at it. Jack cheese and chips, burritos with leftover chicken, whatever, they'll devour it.
Enjoy!
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