Recipe - Refried Beans A La Cantina

2 cup Dried black beans, or pinto
beans
8 cup Water
2/3 cup Lard or vegetable oil
1 lg Yellow onion, minced
1 teaspoon Salt
One half teaspoon Freshly ground pepper
Fresh cilantro, optional

Sort through the beans and discard any misshapen beans or stones. Rinse
well. Place the beans in a saucepan and add the water. Bring to a boil and
reduce the heat to mediumlow, cover and simmer until the smallest beans
are cooked through and creamy inside about 1 One half hours.

Remove the beans from the heat. Using a potato masher, mash the beans with
their cooking liquid until evenly mashed.

In a saute pan over medium heat, warm the lard or oil. Add a but about 1/4
cup of the minced onion, salt to taste and pepper and saute briskly until
translucent and just begins to brown, about10 minutes. Add the mashed beans
and cook, stirring until the excess liquid evaporates and the beans begin
to pull away from the pan sides, about 10 minutes. Cook without stirring
until a thin layer of the mashed beans begin to stick to the pan bottom.
Scrape up the layer and reincorporate it into the beans. Repeat this step 2
or 3 times, allowing the beans to begin to stick and then scraping them up,
until the beans are thick and creamy.

To serve, spoon the beans onto a warmed platter or individual plates and
top with the reserved minced onion. Garnish with cilantro, if desired, and
serve hot. Store left over beans, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4
days To reheat, return the beans to a wide saute pan, add and a little
water and place over medium heat, stirring constantly to heat evenly.

Makes 34 cups; serves 46

Cantina by Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken

Typos by Brenda Adams adamsfmle@sprintmail.com; mc posted 6/29/97

Recipe by: Cantina by Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken Posted to
MCRecipe Digest V1 #650 by Badams adamsfmle@sprintmail.com on Jun 29,
1997