MEXICAN REFRIED PINTO BEANS, FRIJOLES REFRITOS

Steps:

• 1. After making your pot of pinto beans see my post for Frijoles Charros or cook a pot of pinto beans, cleaned, sorted, rinsed. Put into a large pot cover with cold water add a piece of salt pork or ham bone, half an onion and three cloves garlic. Add a teaspoon of salt and cover. Cook over a low flame 3 to 4 hours until beans are tender. Stir every half hour making sure the water does not evaporate. If the water goes down add a little more. You can now proceed remove from the pot the amount of beans called for to make refried pinto beans.
• 2. In a large skillet fry 6 slices bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and crumble set aside. In the hot bacon greese add 2 or 3 cups cooked tender beans ( no liquid just beans) if you do not have bacon greese you can use pork lard or if you do not want to use lard you can use canola oil. My preference is bacon greese or lard. The pinto beans have such a delicious flavor when done in bacon greese or lard. With a potato masher begin mashing the beans down to a paste. Keep your flame at a medium heat. Keep mashing until the beans start to move away from the sides of the skillet. you might have to add a little more greese or lard or oil. Beans should be soft and creamy and mashed down to a smooth consistency. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Taste to see if seasonigs are right. Once beans start breaking away from the side of the skillet they are ready. Serve as a side dish or with cheese melted on them or as a dip. If making toastadas just slather on a crisp hard corn tortilla with a little salsa and cheese. Enjoy. Great as an appetizers on crisp bread or crispy mini tortillas.
• 3. In my picture above I show them used on Molletes. As an example. Molletes is a Mexican crisp bread roll slathered with refried beans and melted cheese they are served cut up as appetizers or as a snack.