… and it’s refried beans.
For the past several months I’ve been working on teaching myself how to make homemade refried beans, tweaking my recipes and getting closer and closer to the ideal brown goo for eating and using as dip, or for naaaachos. During this period of experimentation I’ve learned a number of things that I want to share with some willing vict- I mean some interested parties.
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[li]While all my recipes for refried beans say to use lard by preference, for cooking the beans in after they’ve been boiled, but there are several acceptable substitutes: oil is one suggestion. For a more interesting flavor bacon works, but bacon’s expensive. If one gets salt pork, and dices that up, instead it’s the same effect upon the taste, and plenty of oil/fat for the beans. [/li][li]If one has gotten used to using the salt pork mentioned above, and then decides to try lard after all, when the local supermarket starts carrying it, it is important to remember that while the substitution of lard for salt pork will take care of the need for oil/fat there might be a need for additional salt to be added to the mixture before it will be palatable.[/li][li]Mark that note above as “It will be necessary to add lots of salt to the mixture…” Trust me on this. Refried beans without salt is bad. You cannot imagine how bad.[/li][li]When using refried beans to make nachos the thick paste that had been acceptable, and neat, for burritos should be thinned with water. [/li][/ul]
I’ve gotten to the point where I’m fairly confident of my refried beans, and don’t feel the need to practice anymore. But I had some leftovers, and wanted them for lunch… so I nuked 'em to get ready. And dropped the container on the floor after they’d been heated.
No, the container didn’t break. It even landed right side up. And 90% of the beans remained int eh bowl, even. And still tasted pretty damned good.
However the other 10% went all over. I do mean all over, too. It was on my glasses, face, and chest. I found it on my slippers, and even on the back of my head, when I wanted to see what that tangle in my hair was. But what really impressed me was where else they landed. Some were on the floor - no surprise there. Some landed on the wall that had been to the right of me. Again, no surprise: That’s about four feet from where I’d been. What surprised me, an hour later when I chanced to look up, was when I saw the pattern of splatters hanging on the cieling. And I have tall cielings, about eight or nine feet high. :eek:
So I tried to use my mop to get it off. It didn’t work. The stuff has set. Just like Spackle[sup]tm[/sup]. I’ve had to go get a paint spatula to try to take care of the stuff. :eek:
It’s the secret ingredient, I tell you!
