Frijoles Refritos/ Mexican Refried Beans

Frijoles Refritos is a Mexican dish cooked and mashed beans which is an indispensable part of Mexican cuisine. It can be served for breakfast with eggs and tortillas, for lunch and dinner with quesadillas, enchilados, burritos or as a dip with plain tortillas or corn chips. It is also a primary ingredient in some dished like tostadas and chimichangas.

The authentic recipe for Frijoles Refritos takes hours of cooking, draining, mashing and cooking and uses pinto beans. The recipe I have followed here is a modern version of the popular Mexican side and prepared using canned beans.

Serves: 8 (as a dip)
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Recipe Source: Perfect Mexican by Parragon Publishers (adapted)
Ingredients

• 1 medium brown onion, chopped
• 1 large jalapeno chilly, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 fresh thyme sprig
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 x 400g canned borlotti beans, drained
• 1 x 400g canned red kidney beans, drained
• 1 tsp paprika powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tbsp oil
• Salt to taste
• a handful of cheddar cheese, grated (optional)

Method
1. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno and garlic with a little salt and stir until soft and golden. Add bay leaf, thyme, balsamic vinegar and drained beans and mix well. Then add paprika and cumin with 1/2 cup of water, mix well and cook for a few minutes. Remove from heat and discard bay leaf and thyme and mash with a potato masher. Add 1/2 a cup of water, season to taste, mix well and return to heat, stirring continuously until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in grated cheese, if required and stir until melted.

Serve immediately with plain tortillas.

Sending this to Julie's event co-hosted by me.