Recipe #10: Home-made Pinto Beans

In an earlier post I had a "recipe" for pintos. But this just involved using canned beans and adding stuff to them. For the last couple of months, I have been making pintos from scratch, two pounds of dry beans at a time. I developed the recipe using a method that my mom found online (no pre-soak required). My final mix of seasonings has been constantly evolving but this is my current blend; my favorite so far.

Ingredients: 2 lbs. dried pinto beans, 3-4 quarts of water, 3 minced jalapeno/serrano peppers,  4 tbsp. canola oil, 2 tbsp. salt, 1 tbsp. garlic powder, 1 tbsp. sugar (or sugar substitute),  1 tsp. red pepper flake, 1 tsp. Old Bay

1. Rinse dried beans well and place in a large pot.
2. Add the water to the pot of beans; make sure it covers the beans by at least a couple of inches.
3. Put the pot over high heat, covered and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for a couple of hours.
4. When the beans are the proper texture, it's time to add all of the other ingredients. Stir well and bring back to a boil, uncovered.
5. After about 10 minutes, check the consistency of the liquid and once it is as thick as you like, turn off the heat and let the beans cool.
6. Stir occasionally while the beans cool, otherwise they will develop a film on top.

 This will make 6-8 servings of beans and this, with some chow chow, is my lunch pretty much every day (along with a can of green beans).

Turning them into Refried beans: 
Turning normal pintos into refried beans is really simple. Over a skillet on medium-high heat, put in a tablespoon of oil and a teaspoo of minced garlic and let garlic become fragrant. Add some beans to the skillet, add a teaspoon of cumin and mash with a spoon while they cook. Once they are a heated and the right consistency,  they are ready.