Mexican Refried Beans

One of my very favorite foods of all time is refried beans. Right before I moved to Ireland I had my best friend, Yunuen- who is from southern Mexico- teach me how to make them. I was so happy the day I found dried pinto beans at a store in Ireland that I actually took a picture and blogged about it. I would no longer be deprived!

32 ounces dry pinto beans
water
8 slices good quality, smoked bacon
1 medium onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, divided and chopped
1 cup cooking liquid reserved from beans
about 1 cup cream, evaporated milk, or sour cream
1 cup shredded cheese, mild cheddar or Monterrey jack
1 teaspoon cumin
1teaspoon oregano
salt to taste
additional shredded cheese or queso fresco

Instructions:

Rinse and check over the dry beans. Soak beans overnight in a large bowl with plenty of water. Drain beans and place them in a large pot over high heat with plenty of water and three chopped garlic cloves, cumin, and oregano. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer the beans, uncovered. Keep an eye on the water level, adding hot water as necessary as there should be at least an inch of water over the beans. The beans will take about 2 hours to cook. Once the beans are soft remove from the heat and drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

In a large skillet fry the bacon over medium high heat until crispy. Remove bacon from the pan and add the onion and remaining garlic; fry until softened, about three minutes. Add drained beans to the skillet and shredded cheese. Crumble the bacon over the beans Smash with a potato masher, adding the reserved cooking liquid and cream a bit at a time, until they reach a fairly smooth and moist consistency. Sprinkle in salt to taste. Continue cooking and stirring with a large spoon until the beans become a thick paste. Serve hot topped with crumbled queso fresco or shredded cheese.

Yield: About 12 servings

Variation: Make with chorizo instead of bacon for a different flavor and a bit of spice.