suemunzlinger's Recipe

Pinto Bean Recipes For Refried Beans

Category: Side dish

2 cups pinto beans


2/3 to 3/4 cup vegetable oil


1 bulb of roasted garlic, approximately 6 or 7 cloves.. (Roasted garlic, instead of regular, makes a world of difference in this recipe)


•2 - 3 tsp salt, depending on how much salt you like


1 bay leaf


1 finely chopped tomato, vine ripened or home grown

4 quart pot



Directions:

First pour your beans out on a table or cutting board. Sort through them and discard any rocks or shriveled beans. This shouldn't take but a couple of minutes to do.



Put the beans in a colander and rinse them under cold water. Pour the beans into a pot.

Add 8 cups of cold water and the bay leaf.

Put the stove burner on high and cover partially with a lid. As soon as the beans start to boil, lower the heat a little but still continue to boil. Cook for 2 hours and keep adding water as it cooks away.

Stir occasionally. Keep the water level at 2 inches above the beans.



After two hours of cooking, the beans should be soft and darker brown in color. If not cook them another 20 to 30 minutes. Then add the oil, salt, tomatoe, and roasted garlic.



You can slide the roasted garlic out of it's sleeve in the bulb, right into the beans.

Important:

Do not add salt before the two hours of cooking or your beans will never soften up.


After adding the salt etc. bring the beans to a boil again and lower the heat to low. You want to cook them on a slow boil for an additional 1 to 1 1/2 hours. You will need to stir them occasionally to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.


A Little Secret To Great Flavor


To get the best flavor, simmer your beans 1- 1 1/2 hour or as long as you can with all the spices and oil. The longer these pinto bean recipes simmer, the better they will taste.

After 1 to 1 1/2 hours, it seems like all the beans want to do is stick to the pot. This is the point where you turn off the heat, remove the bay leaf, and mash them with a potato masher.


You have just completed one of the best pinto bean recipes around. Enjoy.

Here is a rule of thumb. Never fill your pot more than 1/3 full of beans (before cooking). Also make sure you keep the level of water at 2 to 3 inches above the beans.

will last several days in the refrigerator.

(Thanks Rockin Robin)