Refried Bean Tostada

A big batch of these lasts just about forever, and adds some nice, healthy protein to whatever you’re eating.

Normally I’d buy refried beans but the mood struck me to give them a try at home, and they were really easy. You do want to use dry beans and not cans, though, even though cans are faster. The water they soak in will add a richness to the flavor. When you mash them, you can really choose what texture you like. No need to make them as smooth as canned ones (I like a little coarser beans). They last just about forever in the refrigerator, so use them in a rice bowl, a quesadilla, tostada (as shown), taco, with eggs, etc.

 Adjustments: swap the pinto beans for black or red beans; add some jalapeno or fresno peppers to the onion for a kick

Refried beans from the Moosewood Cookbook

Ingredients

Beans

2 cups dry pinto beans
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups minced onion
5-6 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Black pepper

Tomatillo "Salsa"

3 tomatillos, papery skin removed and halved horizontally
1 cup packed kale, stems removed and finely sliced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 fresno pepper, minced
Salt and pepper

Corn tortillas
Queso fresco

Preparation

Make the beans: Soak beans in large pot for at least 4 hours. Transfer to medium-high heat and cook, stirring once or twice, until very soft, about 1 1/2 hours. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion, half the garlic, cumin, and salt. Sautee over medium heat about 10 minutes, or until the onions are soft. Add remaining garlic; season with black pepper.

Turn heat to low ,add beans, and mix well. Mash with a fork or a potato masher, and cook for just a few minutes more. Serve right away, or store in a refrigerator or freezer until time to reheat.

Make the tomatillo salsa: Set oven to broil. Arrange tomatillos, cut-side down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and cook, about 8 minutes, until skin is blistering. Flip and bake another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Set cooled tomatillos in medium bowl and mash with hands. They will be very soft, so this will require almost no effort. Mix in kale, jalapeno, and fresno pepper. Season with salt and pepper.

Prepare tostada: Over medium-high, heat tortilla on ungreased skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes per side. Tortilla needs to be really hard in order to be able to cut or bit through it, so be patient. (Alternately, you can fry tortillas in oil for a crispy shell.) Cooked tortillas may be set on a baking sheet in a 300 degree oven to keep warm until serving.

Spread beans over tortilla and top with salsa and queso. Add any other accoutrements you like: avocado, hot sauce, salsa, peppers, egg. Serve!