RECIPE

Creamy Refried Beans

• Recipe by Stephanie Valentine

This sublimely silken puree, gently infused with oregano and black pepper, bears blessed little resemblance to the version that comes out of a can. Letting the cooked whole pinto beans soak overnight before frying them makes the resulting puree that much softer and smoother.

• Healthy
• Make-Ahead

Ingredients

1. 1 pound dried pinto beans, soaked overnight in water and drained
2. 1 small onion, halved
3. 1 small head of garlic, halved
4. 2 oregano sprigs
5. 1/4 cup lard or vegetable shortening
6. Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. In a large pot, cover the pinto beans, onion, garlic and oregano with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the beans are tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Discard the onion, garlic and oregano. Refrigerate the beans in their cooking liquid overnight.
2. Drain the beans, reserving 1 cup of their cooking liquid. Working in batches, puree the beans in a food processor.
3. In a large saucepan, heat the lard. Add the pureed beans and their reserved liquid and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the puree thickens, about 20 minutes. Season the puree with salt and pepper and serve.

Make Ahead

The refried beans can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.