Food & Drink

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RECIPE: Refried Beans for "From Scratch" on BC Living

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You may have caught a pattern over the last few months. I made homemade Queso Fresco that I put on some tacos, which inspired me to make my own refried beans, which inspired me to make my own tortillas. Yes, that is backwards of the recipe release order, but I wanted to give you all the options to make it from scratch from start to finish! 
 
Refried beans from soaking your own to plating it on a tortilla is a gamechanger. No more cans for me, this is worth the effort, tenfold.  
 
REFRIED BEANS
for BC Living

INGREDIENTS 

- 2 cups dry pinto beans (you can also use black beans if you prefer them!) 
- water 
- 2 tbsp lard, oil, or bacon fat 
- 1 onion 
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced 
- salt 
- fresh epazote (fresh oregano if you can’t find, I located dried epazote and used that) 
- optional: ½ tsp cumin, oregano 
 
 
INSTRUCTIONS 
 
To make your own Queso Fresco – follow this recipe. 
and 
To make your own Tortillas – follow this recipe. 
 
Rinse your beans, remove any unwanted pieces or debris, and place in a pot or bowl, cover with water, cover and soak overnight.  
(You can also do a faster cooking method by soaking in boiling water for a while first, but I find the overnight soak is the best). 
 
Drain the beans and return to the pot. Add enough water to leave two inches above the beans. 
Peel and quarter the onion and add to the pot with the beans. Also add in the fresh herbs (or a bundle of the dried ones), and a pinch or two of salt. (You can also add in cloves of garlic here.) 
 
Bring this to a boil, and then cover, turn down the heat, and simmer for an hour, giving it an occasional stir. After an hour, check the beans to see if they are cooked, and if not, continue to cook them, checking frequently until they are very tender. 
 
Making sure to retain the bean-water, drain the beans, removing the onion and herbs. 

In a large (make sure there is lots of room) skillet or cast-iron pan, heat the lard/bacon fat or oil (oil to make it vegan) until shimmering – over medium-high heat. 
 
Add in the garlic, and cook for a minute, then add the spices, and beans. If so desired, you can also chop some of the onion and add it in here as well. 
 
Cook in the pan, stirring and smashing as you go (a potato masher would be helpful here – or a fork). 
Add the bean water as needed until you get a texture that you desire. If you prefer a very smooth refried bean, you can also use an immersion blender once you’re done cooking.  
 
Taste the beans for seasoning, adding more salt, cumin, oregano etc. as desired. 
 
Keep warm and serve on tortillas with your desired toppings. (I made a lime crema, and added some cilantro and the queso fresco.) 
 
Enjoy! 

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RECIPE: Tortillas From Scratch for BC Living

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Tortillas
for “From Scratch” for BC Living
April 2023 
 
I’d been wanting to try making my own tortillas for a while now. I always find when I get a pack from the store, I cannot finish them before they go stale (esp. the fresh corn ones in the HUGE packages). 
 
I got myself a press but you can do the same with a heavy pot, and it will take some practice not to rip them or make sure they’re even, but when you get going, you REALLY get going. 
 
Taco parties just got a whole lot better! 
 

INGREDIENTS 

-2 cups corn flour (masa harina) 
-1.5 cups warm (to hot) water 
 
INSTRUCTIONS 
 
[NOTE: I used Maseca brand corn flour for my dough.] 
 

In a large mixing bowl add the flour and water and mix until the dough starts to come together, and then finish with your hands until it is smooth but springy. (I heard it compared to Play-Doh texture and that’s pretty accurate.) If it’s too dry you can add a tiny bit more water and vice versa with flour if too wet. 
 
Once your dough is formed, cover it with a damp towel (paper or tea towel) and let it rest for 20mins. 
 
I weighed the dough and portioned it into approx. 40g balls – if you do not have a scale, use either a cookie/ice cream scoop or take approx. 2 tbsp of the dough and roll it into smooth balls. You will get around 16 give-or-take. 
 
Get two sheets of parchment paper, or wax, or cut the sides away from a ziplock bag – you might find the dough sticks to one of these, so try another if this is the case. 
 
Place one of the balls between the sheets, and press down with the tortilla press (if you are using, or your heavy pan). The tortillas should be about 5 inches across. 
If you’re using the tortilla press, I recommend placing the ball closer to the hinge – the tortilla will be more centered when you press it this way. 

Carefully peel the tortilla away from the lining, taking care not to rip it. 
I laid the tortillas down on a parchment lined sheet while I made a few, and the skillet was heating over medium-high (I used a cast iron pan – a griddle works too). 
 
Place the tortilla on the hot pan and cook for about 30 seconds on each side – flipping it 3 times and getting some nice browning on each side. 
 
Place in a clean kitchen tea towel to keep warm (or a tortilla warmer if you have one), and repeat the whole process until you’ve made all the tortillas. 
 
The leftovers will keep in the fridge for a few days – freezing isn’t recommended. 
Reheat them in a pan (I add a tiny spritz of water to each side if they’re a little stale), for about 15-20 seconds. 
 
ENJOY! 
 
 

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