Friday, June 7, 2013

Homemade Refried Beans

Yes, I know that for most folks, refried beans come in a can.  I buy them too, for convenience.  But it is so easy, and so much tastier, not to mention better for you, to make  your own.  I bought a pound and a 1/4 of Pinto Beans from the bulk bin in the supermarket.    This morning, I poured them into a bowl and covered with cold water, and then let them soak for a good hour or  more.
I put them on the stove about 10:00 A.M. and let them cook all day.  Here is how I do it.  After letting them soak, I pour off the soak water, and discard any beans that are shriveled and/or discolored.  Rinse well again with clean cold water, and then place beans in a large Dutch Oven, covering with water by a couple of inches.  I chopped one large onion, and the heart of one celery stalk, leaves included. 
About 8 large cloves of garlic, chopped.
I have had this Pampered Chef Chopping Tool forEVER and a day.  It has a bent blade, and a piece that has broken off of the cover plate, but I LOVE this thing!  I use it all the time.  For nuts, garlic, onion, eggs, all sorts of things.
If you have a lot to chop, it is fast and efficient!
I also added a jalapeno pepper from my garden for a little extra flavor.  (And actually, I could have added two)
Add it all to the pot.  Along with a generous amount of sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, and smokey cumin.
Bring it up to a rolling boil, and give it a good stir to incorporate all of the ingredients.
Put the lid on the pot, and turn it down to low, and stir every couple of hours or so.  I left mine on the stove pretty much all day.  I think I took it off at about 5 and it looked like this.
There won't be any whole pieces of onion or celery left, after cooking all day, just flavor.  Stir it up, and if you have an immersion stick blender, use it to cream the mixture a bit.  If you have too much liquid, pour or ladle some of it off of the beans, but reserve it, in case you need to add more liquid.  I didn't need to remove any liquid, so I just used the stick blender to reach the desired amount of blending I wanted.
I like to add some fat for flavor.  I cooked about 1/2 package of  a bacon, and poured the pan drippings into the pot of beans, and mixed well.  You don't have to do this, but it certainly does add a wonderful flavor to the beans.
I didn't take any pics of the bacon cooking, but I used my Lodge Grill Pan.  I am still trying to get this seasoned to perfection,  and the best way to do that is to cook high fat foods on it.  Once the seasoning is perfect on a good cast iron pan, it will be your favorite piece of cookware!  I love this Lodge Grill Pan!!!!
My only complaint is that it is so heavy, I can barely lift it, and need two hands to hold it if I am pouring anything off of it. 

Before using a new piece of cast iron, be sure to season it, as per the instructions.  Then after each use, wash with plain warm water, no soap, and dry thoroughly.  When dry. take a paper towel, and wipe a thin layer of vegetable oil onto the pan, rubbing it in well.  Then store.
 I decided I needed to see if it was fit to eat, so I ladled myself a bowl, topped it with cheese and fritos.

Yep, delicious!  Drew walked in about that time, and he had a bowl too.  Then I got busy making bean and cheese burritos.  I made up a dozen or more, and we each had one, or in Greg's case, a few, for dinner.
I like to buy the boxes with sheets of waxed paper, and sheets of foil at Sam's Club.  I used wax sheets for
these.  One ladle of beans, top with shredded cheese, roll the burrito, wrap in waxed paper.   I have a dozen burritos in the fridge for some quick lunches and snacks in the next couple of days.
I put the wrapped burritos into the empty ziplock bags that the burritos were in, and popped them in the fridge.
I had enough left over to fill a container, and I put that in the freezer for later. 
I know to some of you, it is just easier to buy a can or refried beans.  But if you make them yourself, you just might change your mind.   This huge pot of beans cost 99cents.  Well, more if you add the onion and pepper and celery.  But not much.  And they taste so much better, you will be sold if you try them.  I do notice how high the price of tortillas has gotten, so I think I will try my hand at making those next.
Happy Cooking!  And Happy Weekend!
XO  Kris

17 comments:

Taci simmons said...

Hello my dear friend Kris, sorry I have been so tired this past few days I haven't commented on anybody's blog.... But I'm going to try to do better now. Love your receipe I will try to make it sometime soon. It loooks delicious!

Dawn said...

I can't sit to try this. They look so yummy my oldest son is a retried bean kid.

corners of my life said...

You make it look so "do-able".

mynestofyarnandbuttons said...

Thank you Kris for these wonderful directions. I always wondered how to make them. I have to say they look delicious and so much more appealing then the cans. I would like to try my hand at this. Thanks for the step by step recipe.
Hope you have a great weekend, xoRobin

Patty Marker said...

So simple but so yummy!

NanaNor's said...

Hi Kris, We had similar meals~I made Mexican for Carrie's family last night, except with black beans instead of refried. Thanks for the lesson! Have a great weekend my friend.
Love, Noreen

Debbie said...

I used to make home made beans and bean soup ALL the time when my kids were young and I was feeding an army it seemed. Haven't made any in years. You may have inspired me ~ this looks wonderful! Enjoy your week-end!

~Niki~ said...

I do this too, in my crockpot. They turn out great. After the crock pot I ladel them into a fry pan of oil. Mash them with my potato masher. Add pato sauce (yellow can) which is in the Mexican food aisle. YUM. We love bean burritos. There's a store here locally called RAnch Market, a Mexican market. They sell homemade cheap tortillas. maybe you have a market like that close by you can pick some up that are homemade.

Unknown said...

How yummy does those beans look? Pretty darn yummy. And I have not excuse as I have that same blue dutchery. But, the chopper will now be on my must find list. Have a great weekend sweetie.

Teresa Kasner said...

Hi Kris! Oh.. those beans look yummy! I will have to try that one of those days. I used to have a chopper like that and indeed, it was very handy and easy to pop in the DW. You're always an inspiration to me. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Grammy Staffy said...

We just got home from Alaska... And a pot of beans would hit the spot. I think I will take you up on your suggestion. I've never thought to make and freeze burritos. Good idea. By the way I always get my tortilla and produce at the 99 cent store on main and 8th. Do you ever shop there?

Holly said...

Love homemade refried beans! I don't like having my stove on that long so I cook them overnight in the crockpot. In the morning I throw in some hot sauce and a few handfuls of grated cheese and mashed them up. Sooo good. Hope things are going well for you. I think about you every single day.

Kerri said...

Mexican food is my fave....but I've never cared for refried beans...however, I've never had homemade ones! I think maybe with the onion, celery and bacon grease...they might actually be yummy! Can't believe you made all that for 99 cents!

Pammy Sue said...

I just love your cooking posts. Those burritos sound great, and so does the bowl of beans, onion, and fritos. Great idea to make them ahead and store in the fridge!

Gloria Baker said...

This look really delicious dear Kris
xo

Kris said...

Oh, yum, Kris!! I make my own refried beans too but they are not this yummy!! I'm going to try adding the onion and celery next time!! Thanks for the wonderful post!!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

My son makes great pinto beans and I was going to try his recipe tomorrow...my beans are soaking now. Your recipe also looks delicious, Kris. I'll try it next time. I saw a 25 pound bag of pinto beans in Costco at a wonderful price ..I'm tempted to buy it and make beans more often. :)