Refried Beans
Ronnie's Notes
An old classic! This dish is an all-purpose one. Eat the beans as is or stuff them into a sandwich. Or serve them with eggs or nachos. And so on and so on. The uses are almost endless.
Prep time: less than 15 minutes
Region: Southwest
Instructions
In a saucepan, cover the beans with the water and bring to a boil over high heat.
Cook for .
Remove the pan from the heat and cover.
Let rest for one hour.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Place the beans and cooking water in a deep casserole.
Add the onion, garlic, tomato puree, salt pork and salt.
Cover the casserole.
Bake for or until the beans are tender and all but about a half cup of the liquid has been absorbed.
Check beans occasionally for moisture.
If the beans dry out before they are tender, add some more water to the casserole.
Remove the beans from the oven and drain them, but reserve the liquid.
Heat the lard in a large skillet set over moderately-high heat.
When the lard has melted, add the beans and press down on them with a wooden spoon or spatula, to crush them slightly.
Add the tomato paste and stir the beans to blend the tomato paste in thoroughly.
Add the reserved liquid and continue to fry the beans for , or until they are hot and creamy.
HOT TIP: You may substitute vegetable oil for the lard, but the beans will not have their characteristically rich flavor.