Classic Refritos and Then Some

The "refrying" of the beans for refritos is not exactly a subtle proposition. It's done over high heat, in a sturdy, preferably cast-iron, skillet, and rapidly. The advantage is that both the pressure cooking of the beans and the final second refrying are quick, as long as you're on your toes. As you're stirring the beans in the skillet and judging the exact moment to stop, remember that the mixture will thicken a lot as it sits before serving.

 

Makes 3 cups, or 6 to 8 side dish servings

 

3	cups Basic Pinto Beans ([>]), with cooking liquid
2	tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
½	medium-size yellow or white onion, finely chopped
1	clove garlic, finely chopped
	Salt to taste
1	cup grated Monterey Jack, white cheddar, or other tasty melting cheese for topping

1. Mash the pintos in a food processor, along with enough of the cooking liquid to make a coarse, loose, very wet mixture.
2. Heat the oil in a cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add one third of the mashed pintos and stir them about with a wooden spoon until most of the liquid is evaporated.
3. Add the pintos in 2 more batches, stirring after each addition, until the mixture is like a wet puree or loose cake batter, 2 to 3 minutes each time.
4. Season with the salt. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and serve warm, allowing the cheese to melt slightly as the refritos move from kitchen to table.

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Traveling with Refritos

There's no need to remain traditional and limit refritos to "the fill" alongside rice on a Mexican-style meal plate or the dip for tortilla chips at the cocktail hour. They have other places to go.

Refritos Go to Denver: Somewhere on the high Rocky Mountain plain where Denver, Colorado, sits, someone now might be serving pinto bean sandwiches. At least, that's what I hear from Susanna Hoffman's reminiscence of her childhood Denver fare. These bean sandwiches are made up of two pieces of bread, buttered on one side each, and slathered with refritos. That's plenty good enough, but if we were to go chic in modern style, a small dollop of thinly sliced onion steeped in 1 cup red wine vinegar with 1 tablespoon sugar for 30 minutes would be nice on the side.

Refritos Go to Boston: On the East Coast, similar bean sandwiches are enjoyed with Pressure-Cooked Boston Beans ([>]), a kind of sweet refritos. If you stretch your imagination, you can spread refritos on Boston brown bread.

Refritos Go to Italy: For an Italian interpretation, make individual bruschetta toasts, spread them with a tiny but generous mound of refritos, and top them with minced roasted red bell pepper.

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