Mexicans love beans... that's a fact! You give any Mexican a bowl of beans, some chilies and some tortillas and dinner will be ready in a giffy! So it is no surprise at all that I have written several times about beans in the blog. One of the most popular and most commented posts in the blog is the one where I show you how to make black beans from scratch.
It facinates me how many different ways people have to cook and eat beans. I also get a lot of feedback from the post on Mexican refried beans. This, however, is my favourite recipe for beans. It's spicy and full of flavour. It makes a rather dull, but versitile, pulse quite amazing. You can make them by using a tin of shop bought beans, or you can follow the recipe above to make them from scratch. Either way, they're going to taste really good!
My mother makes this to stuff tamales (which is what I am doing on Sunday) and a more liquidy version is perfect for enfrijoladas (recipe to come soon). I also like them as a base for 'beans on toast', topped with some grated cheese, like the fabulous Mossfield cheese or the soft and creamy St. Tola's goats cheese. I used tinned black beans for mine here as I was in a bit of a hurry, but feel free to make the whole thing from scratch. Hope you enjoy it!
Empty the tin of beans into your blender or food processor. Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, pepper, chipotle chili and water.
Blend or blitz the ingredients until you have a smooth, homogeneous paste with no lumps (remember one lump could be a big piece of garlic!!).
Heat the lard or oil in a non-stick pan to medium heat. When the lard is melted, pour the liquidized beans onto it. If you find that there are a lot of beans lodged at the bottom of the blender, use a little bit of extra water to rinse them out and into the pan. While the beans cook, stir them frequently with a wooden spoon to stop them from sticking to the pan. Cook them at medium heat for 15 minutes or until they reach your desired thickness. Remember that beans will go ticker as they cool down.
There you have it, your deliciously spiced beans are ready! They keep well covered in the fridge for up to a week and are suitable for freezing. Use them in tostadas, with your favourite tacos, as a side dish or as a stuffing for tamales and gorditas, you won't regret it!
