Bean Fiesta

Mexican-inspired food is some of my favourite food...I love feasting on bowls of chilli and guacamole and salsa and fresh, warm tortilla chips and soft, fluffy burittos. It was one of my favourite meals when I was growing up - always a family dinner with all the various bits and pieces on the table, everyone helping themselves and generally making a very happy, content mess. But I have to say, going out for Mexican food has typically proven a real disappointment. Now, I'm sure if I went out for a Mexican meal in Mexico, or even in Texas or some of the other southern states of the USA, then I'm sure it would be a totally different experience, but in NZ (and so far in the UK) it's pretty disappointing. I always leave the restaurant feeling faintly dissatisfied and feeling pretty sure I could have made better at home. One area in which I think this is particularly true is in the refried beans realm. At most restaurants I've been to, refried beans have been a sad, grey, tasteless blob on the side of the plate - an after-thought that is supposed to make you feel as if you are getting some kind of 'authentic' Latin meal complete with 'authentic' accompaniments. I'm a big fan of the bean - chickpeas, kidney beans, haricot, lima, black-eyed beans...all good stuff - but even I struggle to get through the refried beans at restaurants. And I always feel so sorry for the beans...they could be so much more than that!

This is my recipe for refried beans and it bears little resemblance to the restaurant variety. Even former refried-bean haters will be convinced by this, and even dogged meat-eaters will come back for seconds. It's great served hot a-top tortilla chips, stuffed into a taco, wrapped in a buritto or piled on top of fluffy rice, slathered with guacamole and/or sour cream and with a sprinkling of grated cheese. But the leftovers are also delicious served cold as a dip with vege sticks and more tortilla chips. I hope you love it as much as I do, and hope that you can convert a refried bean hater or two...! Let the bean revolution begin, ole!

Refried Beans

2 Tbsp oil
1 onion
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 green capsicum (optional)
1 1/2 c red kidney beans (either use some you've soaked and cooked yourself, or a 400g can)
1 generous tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp oreganum
1/2-1 tsp ground chilli (or to taste)
1 tsp paprika (smoked paprika is good for a change sometimes)
About 1/2 c of water (if you used your own cooked beans, keep some of the cooking water for this)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp wine vinegar
salt and sugar to taste

Chop onions, garlic and capsicum. Saute in oil gently. Add spices and fry for a further minute. Add the beans, tomato paste, vinegar and warm through. Mash with a potato masher (or if you prefer a smoother texture, stick it in the blender. I personally like it a bit chunkier, but to each her own!) then add as much liquid as you want to get a soft mixture - about the same consistency as hummus. Add salt and sugar to taste, and even a splash of lime or lemon if you fancy. If you have beans prepared (I keep a stash of pre-soaked and boiled beans in the freezer for this purpose...pour over boiling water to defrost and away you go) you can make this in under 10 minutes.

All it needs are some of the accompaniments listed above, plus a nice cold Corona or Sol lager with lime and you're good to go!