Refried Beans

I hope you never use refried beans from a can ever again. Once you have the real deal it is tough to go back. It is simple and really delicious.

Ingredients:

• Cooked pintos the amount you want to eat, I usually fix 3-4 ladles. (you can sub canned pintos)
• 1 Spoonful of Lard, this is not exact I just use a normal spoon and get a small spoonful, (you can use vegetable oil, enough to thinly cover the bottom of a small sauce pan)
• 1 Chile Pepper, sliced in half (I like to use Serranos, or Jalapenos)

Directions:
In a sauce pan over medium high heat add your Lard or vegetable oil. When hot, add the pepper halves (It should sizzle). Cook for 30 seconds, don’t let your oil start to smoke, if it is to hot turn it down some. Add your beans and it should make a serious sizzling sound. Stir to turn the beans around in the hot oil and so they wont stick to the bottom of you pan. Discard the pepper halves. Remove from the bean pan from the stove and place on top of a towel on your counter top. Use a potato masher and mush the beans up until they are all mashed and smooth with just a few chunks. Return to the stove on a medium low heat. Now you adjust the liquid level in the beans if the beans are stiff and need some liquid then add a little water and stir until they are a more runny than you would like to serve. If the beans are too watery then cook stirring frequently on a low heat. The beans when you take them off the heat will thicken a bunch so you want them a bit runny in the pan. Taste and adjust the seasoning, use salt and garlic powder to get it to the right flavor place.

This whole process takes about 5 minutes.

Health notes: Lard has less saturated fat than butter. I buy organic lard with no preservatives, it costs $2. I think lard has a bad wrap. If you don’t have any lard vegetable oil works just fine, but you do lose some great flavor. You can make these with out any fat, by just mashing up a pot of warm beans and it tastes good; I have done this several times.

Substitutions: Canned beans work just fine.

Local Ingredients used: I highly recommend Busy B’s: Lard. They are down in the local shed at the Dallas farmers market every week. Just cost $2. I keep it in the fridge and it will last for months. They sell all kinds of organic farm products like meats, yogurt, eggs.   I tried some of their hot dogs and I was not wild about them.