Recipes Comfort Food Enfrijoladas Be the first to rate & review! A creamy, savory black bean puree drenches enchiladas filled with queso fresco in this warming and hearty dish. Avocado leaf serves a similar purpose as a bay leaf—imparting deep flavor before being removed prior to serving, leaving a faint fennel-like flavor behind. By Bricia Lopez and Javier Cabral Javier Cabral Javier Cabral is a food writer from the barrios of East Los Angeles who has been covering Los Angeles culture and Mexican food for 15 years. He served as a valiant restaurant scout for the late Pulitzer Prize–winning restaurant critic Jonathan Gold at the Los Angeles Times. His first cookbook documenting Guelaguetza's James Beard Award–winning Oaxacan recipes will be out in fall 2019 from Abrams Books. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 1, 2020 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Total Time: 2 hrs 10 mins Yield: 4 Ingredients BLACK BEANS 1 pound dried black beans 5 cups water, plus more for soaking beans 1 small white onion, peeled 3 medium garlic cloves, smashed 2 dried avocado leaves or 1/8 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 epazote sprig, rinsed and roughly chopped (about 3 tablespoon) or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon fine sea salt ENFRIJOLADAS 1 chile de árbol, stemmed and toasted 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided 12 (6-inch) white corn tortillas Fine sea salt, to taste 8 ounces Oaxaca cheese or low-moisture mozzarella, torn into strands 2 ounces queso fresco, crumbled (about 1/2 cup) Thinly sliced white onion and chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish Directions Make the black beans Place beans in a large pot; add water to cover by at least 2 inches. Let soak at least 8 hours or up to overnight. Drain beans. Combine drained beans, 5 cups water, onion, garlic, and avocado leaves in a large pot; bring to a boil over medium. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender and creamy, 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours. Remove from heat. Remove and discard onion, garlic, and avocado leaves. Stir in epazote and salt. Drain beans, reserving cooking broth. Make the enfrijoladas Combine chile, 2 cups cooked beans, and 2 1/2 cups bean cooking broth in a blender. (Reserve remaining 4 cups beans and any remaining cooking broth for another use.) Process mixture until smooth, about 30 seconds. Set aside. Heat 1/2 cup oil in a large skillet over medium. Fry tortillas, 1 at a time, until soft and pliable, 10 to 20 seconds per side; transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain. Set aside. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a medium saucepan over medium. Add bean mixture; cook, stirring often, until simmering, 4 to 5 minutes. (The consistency should be similar to heavy cream; stir in water or additional reserved cooking broth, 1/4 cup at a time, if needed to loosen.) Remove from heat; season with salt to taste. Place 1 tortilla in hot bean mixture in pan; let soften, about 15 seconds per side. Place tortilla on a serving plate, and fold in half. Repeat process with remaining 11 tortillas, placing 3 folded tortillas on each of 4 plates. Spoon remaining hot bean mixture evenly over tortillas (about 1/3 cup each). Sprinkle evenly with Oaxaca cheese and queso fresco; garnish with sliced onion and chopped parsley. The Ingalls Make Ahead Black beans can be cooked up to 4 days in advance; bean puree can be made up to 2 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate both; thin bean puree with a splash of water if needed. Tortillas can be fried up to 4 hours in advance. Notes Avocado leaves and epazote may be purchased at Latin markets or online. Serve With Lightly malty Mexican lager: Modelo Especial. (Turn the Modelo into a michelada using Guelaguetza I Love Micheladas mix.) Rate it Print