PICANTE REFRIED BEANS

Ingredients

1 can Pinto beans, 29 ounce, drained (reserve liquid), or cook down your own beans (about 2 cups) and use them. See dry bean cooking recipe below.
1 ea Onion, chopped
2 ea Cloves garlic, minced and chopped or pressed
1 ea Jalapeno pepper, finely minced, (optional)
1 Tbsp Chili powder
2 tsp Cumin
1 cup Good sharp or Mexican cheese
6-8 ea Sprigs cilantro (optional, may not be available in your area)

Directions

In a pan large enough to hold it all, simmer the onion, garlic and jalapeno pepper in a teaspoon of oil or a few tablespoons of the bean liquid till onion is soft. Mash beans, adding liquid from the beans as needed for proper consistency. Add the beans, chili powder, cumin and some of the cilantro, chopped to pan. (Reserve a few sprigs for garnish.)

Simmer for at least 20 minutes to develop the flavor and color. Add a little bean liquid or water if the beans get dry. Mix in the cheese, stir well and serve hot. Garnish with sprigs of cilantro.

Excellent as a bean dip!

Options

When cooking your own beans the bean of preference is the pinto bean. Look over one pound of dry beans for stones or other foreign material and remove them from the beans. Wash them several times in running water until the water runs clean.

Place the beans in a pan two to three times the size you need to hold the dry beans and bury a whole peeled onion in the middle of the beans. The beans will swell as they cook to about three times their original size. Cover the beans with water or a good home made broth to a depth of ½ inch over the beans and bring the pan to the boil.

Reduce the heat to a very low simmer and watch the pot quite often at first. The beans will take water pretty often when they start, but as they near the end of cooking they will take less and less water. Add hot boiling water as needed, but only just enough to barely cover the beans after the first time.

The beans are done when they are firm but tender, have no hard spots in them, and can be easily mashed between your thumb and forefinger. At this point the pot should be fairly low on water. The water should be about ½ inch below to level with the top of the beans.

You may remove the onion and eat it, or leave it in the pot and mash it with the beans. Using a potato masher, mash the beans and mix in the cheese, cilantro and check for seasoning.

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