Pati Jinich's earthy and forgiving chile de árbol refried beans
Cookbook author and PBS TV travel show host Pati Jinich likes to use pale yellow Peruanos for many of her bean recipes.
- 1 pound dried peruano (or pinto) beans
- 3 1/2 quarts (14 cups) water
- 1 medium white onion, 1/2 finely chopped, 1/2 left uncut
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 dried chiles de arbol, stemmed
- 3 to 4 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
- Optional cilantro leaves and avocado slices for garnish
- Put the beans in a large pot and cover with water. Add the uncut onion half. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and partially cover. Cook until the beans are tender, 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, depending on the size and age of the beans. Add the salt and stir. Fish out the onion and discard. Save the broth.
- Heat a small comal or skillet over medium heat. Toast the chiles de árbol for a couple minutes, flipping as needed until slightly browned and fragrant. Chop them into small pieces.
- Put about half the beans, 1 cup of the bean broth, and about half of the chopped chiles in a blender and pulse until they are slightly coarse, with some texture remaining. Scrape into a large bowl and pulse the next batch in the same way.
- Heat the lard or oil in a large pot or deep skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add the chopped onion half, stir, and fry until wilted, about 4 minutes. Add the pureed beans and cook, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pot so they don't form a crust. Halfway through, you may need to partially cover them with a lid, as the beans love to jump and spatter as they thicken. Continue cooking until a spoon leaves a trail in the bottom of the pot, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot. Garnish, if desired, with cilantro leaves or avocado slices.
“Pati Jinich Foods of La Frontera: Recipes and New Taste Frontiers From Both Sides of the Border.”
“They take on seasonings really nicely,” she told writer Margy Rochlin for a story exploring the growing popularity and versatility of Peruano beans. “They’re forgiving, but still have a distinct taste. They’re earthy, buttery.”
Here, she refries the Peruano beans, cooking them with a few dried chiles de árbol. She also uses Peruanos in frijoles de la olla or serves them charro-style, browning a bit of bacon or chorizo, then sauteing onions and jalapeños in the rendered fat before adding chopped tomatoes and cooked Peruanos.
Note that pinto beans can be substituted. This recipe is adapted from Jinich’s upcoming cookbook, “Pati Jinich Foods of La Frontera: Recipes and New Taste Frontiers From Both Sides of the Border.”
Super-affordable and sold in bulk, Peruano beans are what Pizzana’s Danilele Uditi prefers over cannellini beans for his pasta e fagioli. Mexican cookbook author Pati Jinich loves them too
Pati Jinich’s chile de árbol refried beans
Put the beans in a large pot and cover with water. Add the uncut onion half.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and partially cover. Cook until the beans are tender, 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, depending on the size and age of the beans.
Add the salt and stir. Fish out the onion and discard.
Save the broth. Heat a small comal or skillet over medium heat.
Toast the chiles de árbol for a couple minutes, flipping as needed until slightly browned and fragrant. Chop them into small pieces.
Put about half the beans, 1 cup of the bean broth, and about half of the chopped chiles in a blender and pulse until they are slightly coarse, with some texture remaining. Scrape into a large bowl and pulse the next batch in the same way. Heat the lard or oil in a large pot or deep skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking.
Add the chopped onion half, stir, and fry until wilted, about 4 minutes. Add the pureed beans and cook, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pot so they don’t form a crust.
Halfway through, you may need to partially cover them with a lid, as the beans love to jump and spatter as they thicken. Continue cooking until a spoon leaves a trail in the bottom of the pot, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot.
Garnish, if desired, with cilantro leaves or avocado slices.
