RECIPE: REC: Cook's Illustrated Refried Beans. Made these last night - they were great!

RECIPE:
D

deb-in-mi

Well-known member
These were terrific! We used black beans instead of pinto. Also - next time I'll make a double batch and freeze the extra because this stuff goes fast!

Refried Beans

Makes 3 cups

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 (15.5 ounces each) cans pinto beans,drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 ounces salt pork , rind removed and diced very small

1 small onion , chopped fine (about 3/4 cup)

1 jalapeno chile , seeds and ribs removed, chile minced

1 poblano chile , seeds and ribs removed, chile chopped fine (about 1/4 cup)

1/4 teaspoon table salt

3 small cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice (optional)

1. Process broth and all but 1 cup of beans in food processor until smooth, about 15 seconds, scraping sides of bowl with rubber spatula if necessary. Add remaining beans and process until slightly chunky, about ten 1-second pulses.

2. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add salt pork and cook, stirring occasionally, until fat has rendered and pork is well browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer pork to small bowl with slotted spoon and set aside (you should have about 2 tablespoons of fat left in skillet.)

3. Increase heat to medium-high; add onion, chiles, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cumin; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add beans and stir until thoroughly combined. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until beans are thick and creamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro and lime juice, if using, and serve.

Cooks Illustrated

 
Thanks Deb, I love really good rf beans, but haven't found a method yet that I'm happy with that

doesn't include lard.

I'll give these a try.

 
If you like black beans, you will love this. REC: Family Recipe-Vegetarian Black Beans/Diana NYC

These are so delicious. If you make these, try and use the Spanish olive oil, the flavor is exceptional. I thought this was from the Latin American Tour Group, from the Group Project, but I could not find it and the Kitchen Seek does not work. Here is the link to the Group Project from Gail's.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Family Recipe - Vegetarian Black Beans

Recipe By :Diana/NYC
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Latin American

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

1 pound dried black beans or 2 cans of unseasoned black beans
1 " El Sofrito"
1/4 cup Spanish olive oil
1 large onion -- minced
6 garlic cloves -- crushed (6 to smileys/bigeyes.gif
1/2 green pepper -- minced
2 bay leaves
8 ripe roma tomatoes -- chopped
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 T red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 habanero pepper
1 T spanish olive oil

If doing from scratch, soak the black beans overnight, refrigerated, with twice as much
water (in volume), in a covered pot. To cook, add water again, so that you have twice as
much water again. Cook until tender. Do not add salt until the beans are done, this will
make them tough. While the beans are cooking, make the "sofrito." This sauce is added to many Cuban dishes: rice, fish, eggs, vegetables. To a hot pan, add 1/4 c of spanish olive oil when fragrant, add the garlic, onion, and green pepper. Sautee until onion is translucent.
Then add the rest of the ingredients to the sofrito. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt and Pepper to taste. Then add to the cooked beans. Again, salt and pepper to taste. Lastly, add habanero oil, you can make this ahead of time: de-seed a habanero chile, chop coarsely, fry up in olive oil, discard the chile shells, then add as much of the oil to the beans, to taste. Buen provecho.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -http://web.archive.org/web/20030218144828/food4.epicurious.com/HyperNews/get/regions.html

 
I agree with the lard use. They're not the same without. Anyone who lives near an area with a

large latino population should stop in a carniceria (meat market)sometime. Many of them render their own lard which can be purchased at the meat counter. It makes STELLAR refried beans. I think the use of the salt pork being fried in the oil is the closest C.I. could come without the "real thing" being available to some people.

Oh yeah, and you'll be amazed at the prices at these little markets. Especially on chicken & beef. Much lower than a supermarket. They also have great "fast fixins" such as house marinated fajitas and chicken breasts and carne adobado, All ready to just throw on the grill or in a skillet.

 
The best canned black beans we've ever had are Knorrs

problem is I can't find them any where near where we live.

But if you can get hold of them - give them a try!

Deb

 
Rendered pork lard has 1/2 the cholesterol of butter and 1/3 less saturated fat...

...according to Rick Bayless.

Many people find it easier to digest than dairy fat as well.

Lard has gotten a bad rap.

Michael

 
Rick Bayless gives this recipe for making your own pork lard. I use it for tamales as well...

...as other recipes. Don't get the idea I use it a lot. I use it once in awhile, when a recipe just doesn't taste right without it.

I would guess that bacon fat, since it's pork, would be the same. It's only a guess though.

Manteca De Cerdo (Fresh Pork Lard)

Makes 1 3/4 cups

2 pounds pork fat (scraps trimmed off roasts and chops are good here, but don't use salt pork or bacon-- those flavors are very strong)

Cut the pork fat into 1-inch cubes. Spread it out in a deep baking dish and set it in an oven turned on to 275 degrees F. Stir it every once in awhile as the fat renders into a clear liquid. When the baking dish contains only clear liquid and browned bits, after about 2 hours, carefully remove the dish from the oven. (Letting the cracklings, as the browned bits are callled, color richly gives the lard a fuller roastier flavor.)

Let the lard cool to lukewarm, then strain. (The little browned bits are wonderful sprinkled over a salad.) Store lard in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator--or freezer, if you're not going to use it all within a month.

Michael

 
I agree! with the caveat: that home-rendered pork lard is superior....

...some commercial sources bubble it with hydrogen just like Crisco to create a fluffy consistency, and thus we have "partially hydrogenated" pork fat. On its own, non-hydrogenated pork fat is far healthier than beef fat.

 
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