Conference turris::cooks

    As with so many "plain"-type foods, refired beans are very much
    a matter of personal taste.  I prefer to use pinto beans, beginning
    with dried and cooking. per package directions, till quite soft
    
    Drain any remaining liquid from cooked beans and reserve.
    
    Heat bacon fat, (lard or shortning do well, oil does less well)
    in a heavy fry pan.  Saute garlic and onion until tender and lightly
    colored.  Add small amounts of beans, mashing to the consistency
    you prefer.  Keep adding the beans and reserved liquid, by portions,
    until you have what you consider "good" refried beans.  Chicken
    broth or boullion can be used if you run out of bean liquid.  During
    this adding-and-mashing process the heat should be kept so that
    the mixture simmers; this needs to blend without drying out.
    
    Added flavor is gained by the generous use of bacon fat, but you
    may want to avoid this.  Flavor can also be gained by adding cooked
    bacon or sausage, Chorizo, Mexican-variety sausage, would be most
    authentic but Italian Sausage, either hot or sweet, or regular ground
    sausage work as well.
    
    This is a bit of work - you might want to find someone to spell
    you with the mashing, if you do a large batch.  This freezes quite
    successfully.
    
    Enjoy - homemade is SO much better that store-bought! 

    If you want to make this process quicker, start with canned 
    kidney beans.  They're very soft and mash up more easily
    than the freshly cooked beans.
    
    I like mine with lots of garlic - I like almost all savory foods
    with garlic added.
    
    --Louise

FIRST, the correct (and best tasting) recipe is BAD FOR YOUR HEART...


		REAL REFRIED BEANS

Cooked, cold pinto beans
LARD (yep, its gotta be lard to be real refrieds - or rendered salt pork
	may be used as a substitute)
grated cheese (cheddar and monterey jack mixed)
chopped jalepena peppers to taste (optional to some people)

I consider optional:

sliced black pitted olives
sour cream

MAKE THE PINTOS THE DAY BEFORE YOU WANNA SERVE THE REFRIEDS:

clean and pick over dried pinto beans.  Add cold water to cover and
either let soak overnight or bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour.
Drain beans.  Add cold water to cover, 1 large onion chopped.  Bring
to boil and simmer until they are tender, and change color from
spotted to brown.  They may be a little soupy, but probably will
lose that when they are chilled in fridge overnight...

	PLEASE NOTE:  I did not specify adding salt - DON'T ADD SALT!

The next day:

Melt approx. 1/4 cup lard or render out 1/4 cup fat from salt pork
into heavy skillet.  Add 3 or 4 cups cold beans and cook until
thorough heated.  Spread beans out in skillet after mixing in peppers
if you want them, cover liberally with grated cheeses and bake in
the oven until cheese is hot and bubbly.  You may top with sour cream
and olives and avocados or whatever...serve hot as a side dish for
mexican food.

    For a variation add Chile Powder, Tobasco, and minced onion to
    mashed beans.

I *love* the black beans that you get at the Border Caf� in Cambridge.  They're
separate, not mushed together like refried beans, and they're spicy.  Anyone 
know how to make these?  I've got a bag of dried black beans in my cupboard and
would love to try my hand at them.

Thanks,
Sue

    
    I've never been to the Border Cafe, so this may be completely off base,
    but Gourmet last month had a recipe for spicy black beans that sounds
    like what you're looking for.  It was essentially a modified red beans
    and rice recipe, without all the smoked meat.  You might try Paul
    Prudhomme's red beans recipe in this file, using black beans,
    omitting the andouille and ham hocks, and adding cilantro near the end
    of cooking.  I'd also cut down on the water.
    
    Mike. 

	There is a note in this notes file for black bean chili.  The
	main ingredients are black beans, peppers, onions, and spices.
	If you can't find it, I have a modified copy of it... basically,
	I omit the roasting of the red pepper that it calls for and
	add some Red Hot sauce to make it spicier.  My roomate and I
	used it for dip on chips last week!  YUM!

	Karen

    
    See note 1925.  I use this black bean soup recipe all the time
    and it is delicious.
    
    MJ