REFRIED BEANS

From scratch: Clean and sort through about three cups of (dried) pinto beans, removing the little rocks you find and any beans that look like they have "cavities". (The fresher off the farm the better, even if you have to order online, otherwise the skins can be tough). Rinse them well in a colander. Preferably fresh beans, i.e., this years harvest; old beans are tough and grayish when cooked. If fresh beans are unavailable, canned beans can be used (below).

Bring a large pot of water to boil, enough to cover the beans by an inch, and add the beans to the water while it's boiling. Turn down the heat to medium and simmer for approximately 2 hours-the fresher the beans, the faster they cook--until they are tender. Don't let the beans dry out while they simmer; keep adding hot water occasionally. Add salt and other seasonings (listed below) during the last 30 minutes so they cook into flavor the pot. (Note: what you have now is what we call frijoles de la olla, or beans of the pot. You can enjoy them just like a soup, topped with fresh diced tomato, cilantro, and chopped green onion.)

Seasonings:

One tablespoon of salt--more if you love salt as much as I do.

One or two tablespoons of chile powder such as Santa Cruz. (Gebhartz is another brand you might find in the spice section of your market.) We usually use chili paste instead, made from fresh chiles that were seeded, cleaned, pressure cooked, and then pureed with garlic and cumin.

One or two teaspoons of garlic powder, depending on how much you love garlic.

For refried beans:

Heat one or two tablespoons of bacon grease in a skillet or frying pan, Add about four cups of the cooked beans but be careful not to add very much of the "bean broth" or your refries will be too soupy.

Mash up the beans with a potato masher and continue cooking over medium heat until they are the consistency you like. Add a couple of handfuls of grated cheddar and/or Monterey Jack cheese until they are incorporated into the now creamy beans.

Using canned beans:

Use pre-cooked pinto beans with ingredients of beans, water, and salt-nothing more. Just add the garlic and chile powder as you mash the beans and keep simmering on medium/low heat to let the spices cook in. Finish with cheese same as the scratch method.

Find a warm tortilla and enjoy!