Refried Beans aka the BEST side-dish ever

Black gold

Oh Lordy. This is going to be a good one. Gutted I missed posting it on Cinco De Mayo, but rest assured I ate a lot of Mexican food that day, so it's OK.

Tears dripped down my face in delight as I tasted the majesty of this impressive bowl of spiced, mashed, EPIC beans.

I used black turtle beans which my amazing boyfriend bought in bulk off amazon (3 kilos.. I really like these beans, okay) and I regret NOTHING. As an aside, did you know that some of the sub-varieties of these beans include nighthawk, and zorro? BAD. ASS.

Serve this with whatever Mexican stuff you have closest to you. My preferred vehicle for these beans is a massive burrito, but you could always just shovel it in your mouth with tortilla chips, whatevs, no judgement.

makes a ton of beans 

Ingredients for the beans

• 250g black turtle beans
• 4 cloves garlic, bruised
• 1 tsp thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 tbsp salt

Ingredients for the refrying

• 50g butter
• 1 chopped onion
• Salt and pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp paprika

Method

To make the beans, begin by rinsing and draining them, then placing in a pot with at least 10cm of water. Add in the garlic, herbs and onion and bring to the boil.

Simmer for 2-3 hours until soft.

Season with salt at this stage and cook for 15 more minutes.

During cooking, skim off any white foam that develops  and top up with boiling water as needed to keep the beans covered.

Drain (reserve the cooking water!) and remove the herbs, onion and garlic.

Now, the beans are done, lets fry these suckers! Using a handheld blender, blend the beans until you have half a smooth paste and half mushed up beans (I like mine to have a little bit of texture). Add some of the reserved cooking water to allow you to obtain the desired texture.

Heat the butter, and when melted, throw in the onion and cook until soft and nearly translucent. 

Then add the garlic, paprika and seasoning and cook for a few more minutes.

Stir in the beans, and cook for 10 minutes at a low heat, adding more of the cooking water as needed.

Serve however you like, your kitchen is a place free from judgement.

BEST MEAL EVER.