Refried Beans

My friend taught me how to make these authentic Mexican refried beans. The flavor is simply amazing. She doesn't follow a recipe, so I just took some notes and practiced a few times to create one of my own. These are pretty simple and simply delicious. I couldn't get my husband or kids to eat beans until I learned this recipe, and now they request them. Even my three-year-old will clear her serving of beans and ask for more. 

Ingredients

4 C dried pinto beans

Water

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, or 1 tsp minced (I use the bottled kind that is already minced)
oil
4-5 serrano peppers

1-3 TB tomato bouillon  (we like 1 rounded TB)

salt to taste (we like 1 tsp)

Directions

Dump your beans on a clean counter space and sort through them to make sure there are no small rocks. Rinse the beans and put them in a large stock pot. Add the water, onions, and garlic. The amount of water should be 1/2 the height of the stock pot (about 15 cups in mine). Heat to boiling and reduce the heat slightly to maintain a lightly rolling boil (on my stove that's about heat level 7 out of 10 on the dial). Cover with a lid tilted in so it vents a little bit.

Every 20 minutes or so, add another cup or so of hot water to maintain the water level to 1/2 the stock pot. You want to end up with about the same amount of water in the pan as when you started. Cook for a total of 2 hours. The beans should be tender with the outsides splitting off a little bit. 

Saute the serrano peppers in oil until they are white all around. Remove from the pan and fill with half of the beans and water. Mash the beans with a potato masher and season with the tomato bouillon and salt. Start on the smaller end of the amounts and add more to taste. These make a fabulous side dish or chip dip.