I keep forgetting to buy refried beans in a can and that’s what my husband wants for tostadas. On the other hand, I had a 2 pound bag of dried pinto beans, so why not cook them? Michael balked, “You can’t make refried beans from scratch.” Um…I am sure millions of Mexicans would disagree. Do I have a family recipe? No, but I was sure I knew how to cook pinto beans that would be delicious and form the basis for multiple simple meals.
I didn’t have to use the whole bag of beans at once, but I had 8 ounces of chopped ham in the freezer that would flavor them up, so I decided to cook all two pounds after inspecting them and soaking overnight. We could eat the whole beans the first day and I could mash some up another day. The rest could go into the freezer for later.
I began by cooking a gigantic diced onion in some olive oil in a big pot. To that I added a couple of stalks of celery and half a bell pepper, chopped. Minced some garlic and added two frozen cubes of chipotle and the bits of ham. Beans and enough water to cover them. Let simmer for a few hours. No sweat. Cooking without a recipe is easy and fun.
Spices I Used:
- 3 bay leaves
- dried oregano
- dried thyme
- cumin
- paprika
As for making these “refried style” a couple days later, for me that meant pureeing some beans in the food processor with some salsa and crushed coriander and simmering in a nonstick skillet until they reached the desired consistency.
I apologized to Michael about not having any cilantro or ripe avocadoes, but he said the beans were so good that he didn’t miss those ingredients. Hmm…fine praise from a guy who believed refried beans must come from a can!
To learn our method of making the tostada shells, please read Michael’s Famous Tacos. They could be the inspiration for many simple meals.
Here’s how the tostada base will look before adding the beans:
After putting some of these whole pinto beans into the freezer, they reappeared later with the addition of a little barbecue sauce. Hello barbecued beans with ribs and greens! I love cooking once for multiple simple meals that everyone loves.
Find out how to make this slab of ribs next.