A good dinner, but not a great one. Everything seemed to be lacking in salt somehow, and my veggies weren't quite as "charred" as I like. I think I should have used more oil (sigh).
The frijoles refritos (refried pinto beans) were the star, inspired by this recipe for refried black beans from Rachel Demuth's Mexican Supperclub at the Vegetarian Cookery School (I just subbed pinto beans for black beans, and skipped the epazote as I live in the UK - Mexican ingredient wasteland):
Frijoles Refritos
Re-fried Black Beans
Dietary: Vegan
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
- 200g dried black beans
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried epazote (optional)
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 onion-halved
- A sprinkle of fresh thyme
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tbsp epazote (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 orange, juice of
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- lots of chopped coriander
- brown sugar
- salt and pepper
Method:
Soak the beans in lots of water overnight.
Next day drain the beans and rinse them, checking for any stray stones.
Boil in plenty of water with the bay, half onion, garlic and epazote until tender, which takes 1-2 hours-keep checking the level of the water and top up a little if the beans are drying out. When the beans are soft remove the onion and bay, drain and set aside.
In a large saucepan, fry the onion in the olive oil until soft.
Add the garlic and chilli to the onion and fry until fragrant. Then add the paprika, epazote, coriander & cumin and quickly stir-fry.
Add the cooked beans, orange & lime juice and cook gently until the beans begin to break down and the fruit juice has been absorbed. Add a little water if the mix gets too thick and then taste-add sugar, salt and pepper to your taste.
Serve garnished with chopped coriander with corn tortillas and bowls of extra sliced jalapenos, spring onion. chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce and cheese.
