Chef Jorge Aguilar of Border Town Tortilleria shares his family recipe for frijoles refritos, an easy-to-make, non-meat, delicious, refried bean filling to pair with handmade Mexican flour tortillas. You can even use it alongside meats for an extra punch of salty, smooth textures in your tacos or burritos.
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Border Town Tortilleria's Frijoles Refritos
An easy, flavorful, non-meat, luscious refried bean filling or side dish for Mexican handmade flour tortillas.
Equipment
- Bowl
- Large Sauce Pan with Lid
- Heavy Skillet
- Slotted Spoon
- Masher
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried pinto beans (approx 2 1/2 cups)
- 6 cups water
- 1/2 cup leaf lard
- 2 dried chiles de árbol
- 1/2 white onion, peeled
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup shredded melting cheese of choice
- 1.5 tsp salt, to taste
Instructions
- Arrange dried pinto beans on sheet pan or similar and sort, removing any imperfect beans or debris. Rinse thoroughly in cold water. Soak overnight in water & drain in the morning.
- In a large covered saucepan, combine beans, water, onion and garlic, bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce to a simmer for ~2 1/2 hours or until beans are very tender.
- In a heavy skillet, melt lard on medium-low heat. Once melted & lightly smoking, add dried chiles de árbol, being careful not to burn them.
- Using a slotted spoon, start to add the beans and garlic from the saucepan to the skillet, leaving behind extra liquid and onion. Once all beans are in the skillet, slowly incorporate 1/4 cup of bean liquid, enough to keep the beans moist while frying.
- Cook, uncovered, in the skillet over medium heat for ~10 minutes for flavors to meld. Using a masher, mash beans (including the garlic & chiles) thoroughly. They do not have to be perfectly smooth - some texture is desired. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes after mashing, stirring often so the bottom doesn't burn.
- Turn off heat & add cheese, stirring to melt and incorporate. Add salt to taste. Serve in a fresh flour tortilla or as a side dish. Makes about 4 1/2 cups.