Not quite Refried Beans and other goodies

The staple and mainstay of every Mexican meal for me starts and ends with the beans. When traveling and eating in every Mexican,, not to be confused with tex/mex, establishment I can find, I use to things to test their merit. The first, if they offer it, is a proper and well executed Chile Rellenos,,a Anaheim Chile, roasted and peeled, stuffed with Monetary jack Cheese, battered, fried and served with a rich and dark red Chile sauce. A close second is the re fried bean, simple and tasty this mainstay has filled many a belly and made a full day's hard work possible. Though simple, everyone has their own twist and turn and some work,, some on the other hand,,do not.
I stumbled in to my bean recipe years ago while trying to find ways to make food less fatty and, (even if just slightly), better for you, or me, as the case may be. My re fried beans are not technically re-fried, however I think you won't miss the lard, or pork fat traditionally used to Re-fry beans. They still have the creamy texture we love and covet and all the flavor you crave, demand and have come to expect.
First you need a bag of Pinto beans, I try to buy them from a supplier who "moves" a lot of beans, as they can sit for ever on your commercial or chain grocer's shelf. Pick through the beans, look them over for small rocks which make their way in to the bag now and then. Rinse and soak overnight, but not more than 24 hours,, they will eventually ferment, causing a white foam to form on the water and rendering the beans sour. I usually soak from 12 to 18 hours. After soaking, drain the beans and in a heavy bottom pan, I have a special bean pot I inherited from my Mother, who used it for Cod knows what. You want something that will not scald the beans during the long cooking process.
Heat your pot and roughly chop one Yellow Onion, or Sweet Vadilla, sweat the onion with 3 large cloves of garlic. Once translucent, add 2 Tbl ground Cumin, 3 Tbl Chimayo red chili powder, or any high quality red chili powder found in a Gourmet shop or local bodega, stir in the dry spices and cook for one minute, to mix thoroughly and the cooking brings out flavor. Next, add the beans and cover with water or better yet beef, chicken or vegetable stock, usually takes about a quart of liquid,, but you may need to add more during the cook process. I do not add salt until the end, it tends to make the beans tough. Bring the pot to a boil, cover and lower heat to a strong simmer. Checking and stirring every hour the beans should cook in about two to three hours,, depending on your altitude, age of beans and the luck of the draw. When the beans are fork tender, uncover and cook down the liquid until the beans are a creamy consistency. If you do not want re fried beans, you can drain them and use them for any number of things, add to soups, make a salad, use them as a side dish. But if re fried is your goal, evaporating most of the liquid will do the trick. At this point I salt to taste,, beans will require good amount of salt and quantities will vary depending on your taste and the saltiness of your stock. I finish the beans with a handful of chopped cilantro, which some find optional.
Once you have good beans, you have the building blocks for a great and healthy meal. My beans have now been served with Grilled Sea bass taco's and last night they found their way on to a plate with Annatto marinated bone in Pork chops and a green chilie sauce I made, portioned and froze last year. The beans also freeze well and add a touch of Mexico to any meal. I am sorry I have no pictures, but my photo loading program is on the fritz,, darn PC's,, but a pot of beans is not the most photogenic of food suffs there is, so use your imagination and make the beans your own with any twist you enjoy. Eat up and share!