Refried Black Beans

These are not quiet the tradional recipe refried beans, they contain no lard, for instance. However they are very good. They are a favorite in our kitchen with rice and tortillas.

Adapated from a recipe in "The Quick Recipe" from Cook's Illustrated

Refried Black Beans

1 large red onion, minced
1 med-large jalepeno pepper, minced, seeds ribs and all (Note: if you prefer a less spicy dish, omit the seeds and ribs)
4 tbs of vegetable oil
3 large cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 tsp of ground cumin
pinch of cayene or a dash of your favorite hot sauce
1/2 tsp salt
2 25oz cans of black beans, drained
1/2 cup of water
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

If you have a food processor, process the beans with the 1/2 cup water until smooth. If you don't have one, you can just mash the beans in a bowl with a potatoe masher or a fork, adding water a bit at a time to reach a consistency that you like.

Note: If you have a food processor for the beans, this is even easier. You can also chop your onions and jalepeno and not wash the bowl and then go ahead and process the beans.

Heat the oil, onions and jalepeno in a large saucepan on medium high heat. Saute until onion just starts to brown, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, cayene, and salt. Saute until fragrant about 1 minute. Stir in the beans. Reduce heat to med-low and cook partially covered (this has a tendence to bubble and pop so if you don't cover it, it can be messy) for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Just before serving, stir in the cilantro.

This dish keeps very well for several days and reheats nicely. I usually reheat it covered in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. It also makes a tasty filling for Quesedillas, or a warm dip for corn chips.