Directions: |
Directions:Sort and rinse beans. Place in a 3 or 4 qt. pot and add water to cover, with at least 3 inches of water above the beans. Heat to boiling and reduce heat to barely a simmer, covered for at least 3 hours. Keep an eye on the water level in the pot and add more if needed. However, the beans will tend to have more and better flavor if you don't allow the water level to be too high. I like to keep it right at the level of the cooking beans after the first two hours. The beans are ready to fry when they are very soft. At this point you can use or eat the beans. Our family would cook them with ham or add ham and seasonings and eat the beans like a stew with cornbread or you can add them to enchiladas.
To make refried beans drain off and save the liquid, melt the butter and shortening in a large frying pan and get it hot. Add the cooked beans and fry on high, scraping the bottom of the pan to stir the beans about every 3 to 5 minutes. They should fry for 10 to 15 minutes, but watch them so they don't burn. Remove from heat and add some of the bean liquid back into the pan. With a potato masher, mash the beans until there are no (or very few) whole beans left. Keep adding liquid as needed during the mashing to aid the process. Finally, add more of the liquid until the beans are very creamy looking and approaching soupiness. Stir in some grated cheese and taste the beans to see if they need any more salt. They can be served immediately or transferred to a casserole dish and kept warm in your oven for as much as an hour and half (275º). |
This recipe for Beans Regular or Refried is from