On 30 Mar 2006 19:02:36 -0800, "aem" wrote:

Damsel in dis Dress wrote:

Am I the only one who cooks pintos starting with dried beans?

Certainly not! An onion, cut in half, a smoked hock, a few garlic
cloves and a pot of beans. One of the greatest examples of the "simple
is best" theme. Been happening here for years. We eat beans and
whatever a whole lot more than we eat refried. That's just for the
last of the leftovers.

I don't like smashed pintos. Just whole beans in their own gravy. And
that gravy always includes beer at the Damsel/Crash houeshold.
Sometime, I'd like to try adding cilantro, too.

Peace,
Carol

In article ,
Dan Abel wrote:

No, in fact Costco sells dried pinto beans in 25 pound sacks. When we
have time, we prefer beans made from dry instead of out of a can.
Cheaper too.

I don't eat enough of them to make that a practical consideration.
--
-Barb
http://jamlady.eboard.com Updated 3-30-2006 Enchiladas for Two

"If it's not worth doing to excess, it's not worth doing at all."

In article ,
Goomba38 wrote:

Dan Abel wrote:

No, in fact Costco sells dried pinto beans in 25 pound sacks. When we
have time, we prefer beans made from dry instead of out of a can.
Cheaper too.

Ok, I'll admit off the bat that I'm not a huge bean fan. Never liked
starchy beans, but enjoy black beans and lentils (yeah, not beans I
know), and the occasional bean taco using canned frijoles.
Can you talk me through the process of going from dried to a nicely
seasoned frijole? If you don't mind...?
Thanks "Toot-Toot"
Goomba

Take a half pound of beans in a saucepan. Check for rocks and dirt
clods. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Shut off heat and leave
for a minute. Drain (that's supposed to reduce gas). Add water to more
than cover. Heat to boiling again. Turn heat way down and simmer. Put
in a clove of garlic cut in half. Simmer for two hours. Add water and
crank up to boiling again as needed along the way. Taste and salt as
needed. Fish out the garlic halves and toss them. Serve with slotted
spoon.

We have to add a pinch of baking powder with the second dose of water
because our water is hard and they just won't get soft in a reasonable
time otherwise.

--
Dan Abel

Petaluma, California, USA

Dan Abel wrote:

Take a half pound of beans in a saucepan. Check for rocks and dirt
clods. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Shut off heat and leave
for a minute. Drain (that's supposed to reduce gas). Add water to more
than cover. Heat to boiling again. Turn heat way down and simmer. Put
in a clove of garlic cut in half. Simmer for two hours. Add water and
crank up to boiling again as needed along the way. Taste and salt as
needed. Fish out the garlic halves and toss them. Serve with slotted
spoon.

We have to add a pinch of baking powder with the second dose of water
because our water is hard and they just won't get soft in a reasonable
time otherwise.


Ok.. now what is added to make refried beans? I know lard, but what
quantities and when and how? Anything else?
Goomba

Barb the best way to make sure you can roll your enchiladas is to
gently heat them first.
Use the microwave & nuke them (wrapped in greaseproof paper) first, or
place them in a really low oven (wrapped in aluminium foil) for a few
minutes, otherwise those suckers will crack!
never dip mine in sauce first, just heat, add meat mix, roll and place
in baking dish, then top with lashings of sauce & cheese.
Next time you'll know the trick. Hope dinner goes down a treat!

On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 20:30:43 -0600, Damsel in dis Dress
wrote:

On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 18:13:01 -0800, ensenadajim
wrote:

for me, canned refried beans are a bit too bland. One simple way to
p8unch them up is to add a few tablespoons of dried decaffinated
coffee to them. It creates a deep smoky flavor. A shot or two of
hotsauce does wonders too.

Am I the only one who cooks pintos starting with dried beans?

Nope.

serene

On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 20:30:43 -0600, Damsel in dis Dress
wrote:

On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 18:13:01 -0800, ensenadajim
wrote:

for me, canned refried beans are a bit too bland. One simple way to
p8unch them up is to add a few tablespoons of dried decaffinated
coffee to them. It creates a deep smoky flavor. A shot or two of
hotsauce does wonders too.

Am I the only one who cooks pintos starting with dried beans?


No. A couple of years ago I bought about 20 pounds of the new season
pintos and canned them. Looks like they are just about gone. Guess I
will have to get more beans in September.
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974

In article .com,
wrote:

Barb the best way to make sure you can roll your enchiladas is to
gently heat them first.

So I'm told. :-) Next time, maybe. Rob indicated a preference for the
stacked version and I'm thinking I'd probably do it like that again.
--
-Barb
http://jamlady.eboard.com Updated 3-30-2006 Enchiladas for Two

"If it's not worth doing to excess, it's not worth doing at all."

In article ,
Marcella Peek wrote:

In article ,
Damsel in dis Dress wrote:

On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 18:13:01 -0800, ensenadajim
wrote:

for me, canned refried beans are a bit too bland. One simple way to
p8unch them up is to add a few tablespoons of dried decaffinated
coffee to them. It creates a deep smoky flavor. A shot or two of
hotsauce does wonders too.

Am I the only one who cooks pintos starting with dried beans?

Peace,
Carol

Nope. I'd never even heard of the canned bean thing until now.

marcella
reeling at the coffee idea

Don't.

I've used cold, leftover coffee in crockpots and beef stews.
By the time it's done mixing in, there is no "coffee" flavor but it adds
a richness that you would not believe!
--
Peace, Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

In article ,
Dan Abel wrote:

In article ,
Damsel in dis Dress wrote:

On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 18:13:01 -0800, ensenadajim
wrote:

for me, canned refried beans are a bit too bland. One simple way to
p8unch them up is to add a few tablespoons of dried decaffinated
coffee to them. It creates a deep smoky flavor. A shot or two of
hotsauce does wonders too.

Am I the only one who cooks pintos starting with dried beans?


No, in fact Costco sells dried pinto beans in 25 pound sacks. When we
have time, we prefer beans made from dry instead of out of a can.
Cheaper too.

And FAR lower in salt!!!
--
Peace, Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

In article ,
"Dee Randall" wrote:

"Dan Abel" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Damsel in dis Dress wrote:

On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 18:13:01 -0800, ensenadajim
wrote:

for me, canned refried beans are a bit too bland. One simple way to
p8unch them up is to add a few tablespoons of dried decaffinated
coffee to them. It creates a deep smoky flavor. A shot or two of
hotsauce does wonders too.

Am I the only one who cooks pintos starting with dried beans?


No, in fact Costco sells dried pinto beans in 25 pound sacks. When we
have time, we prefer beans made from dry instead of out of a can.
Cheaper too.

--
Dan Abel

So, Costco is still selling dried beans, heh? -- I haven't seen dried beans
at any Costco in the Eastern region of the U.S. since I left the Seattle
area in 1991 or 1992. I can't recall, but it seemed they sold red kidney
beans and another kind. They were REALLY CHEAP!
Dee Dee



I don't shop at costco...

but our local grocery store has about 1/4 of a shelf on one isle
dedicated to nothing but beans. ;-) There must be a dozen different
varieties and a few mixes from 7 bean to 11 bean. Lentils and split peas
too.

I love beans! Unfortunately, beans are pretty high in starch so I stick
to black soy beans only.

Fortunately, they are excellent and satisfy my craving for beans. ;-d
--
Peace, Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

In article ,
Melba's Jammin' wrote:

In article ,
ensenadajim wrote:

for me, canned refried beans are a bit too bland. One simple way to
p8unch them up is to add a few tablespoons of dried decaffinated
coffee to them. It creates a deep smoky flavor. A shot or two of
hotsauce does wonders too.

jim


Coffee, eh? Like GROUND coffee? Er-r-rm, I'll pass on that one, Jim.
I had some fried onions involved with them and they were right tasty
enough for me. I noticed that the canned refritos came in a variety of
'flavors.'
--
-Barb

I'm sure he meant Instant coffee... ;-)

Not a bad idea in a pinch, I've always just used leftover brewed.
--
Peace, Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

In article ,
Melba's Jammin' wrote:

In article ,
Damsel in dis Dress wrote:

Am I the only one who cooks pintos starting with dried beans?

Peace,
Carol

I'm sure you are not. The Late Widow Geraldine did them that way --
cooking them from dried wasn't anything that interested me today. Maybe
another time.

I just pressure cook the silly things. ;-)
After a pre-soak as IME they come out more tender.

Bring up to pressure with stock and other ingredients, pressure for 20
minutes.

All done!
--
Peace, Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

In article ,
Melba's Jammin' wrote:

In article ,
Dan Abel wrote:

No, in fact Costco sells dried pinto beans in 25 pound sacks. When we
have time, we prefer beans made from dry instead of out of a can.
Cheaper too.

I don't eat enough of them to make that a practical consideration.

See, I'm just the opposite. :-)

I eat beans so seldom that they are a treat.
So well worth doing from dried. I generally plan 3 days ahead due to my
house-mate's preferences on soaked beans. lol

He swears they are more nutritious if they are sprouted or beginning to
sprout, so I do a 72 hour soak with multiple water changes. I use a
screen strainer inside of a large bowl to make it easy...

When you are cooking for another person, you tend to cater to their
preferences and it's not that much effort really.

I often doubt that I'd go to any trouble to make really nice meals from
scratch if I was alone. sigh It's more fun if you get to share.
--
Peace, Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

No one has ever...like...done you with an enchilada?
Girl, you don't know what you've been missing.

--Bryan