Mom and Dad took me and Kleine to a variety of Mexican restaurants when I was growing up. Some were better than others. I especially liked the colorful decorations that most of them had. I even remember one with fountains! As a little girl I wasn’t all that interested in the food, although I loved the chips and salsa. I remember dipping the tiniest corner of my tortilla chip into the salsa and feeling so proud of myself for eating it! It was a few years before I came to appreciate the tacos and enchiladas, and it was a few more before I realized that the beans and rice were equally amazing! Now, I look forward to the refried beans and rice almost as much as the rest of the dinner, and I thought it would be fun to make a dinner of the sides.
This dinner does take some time to bring together, but much of it is just little bits of time here and there, and in the end the whole dinner comes together without much fuss. What’s your favorite part of dinner at a Mexican restaurant?
Ingredients:
- 1 pound pinto beans
- 5 cups water
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 dried chili
- 5 cups water
- ¼ cup oil
- 2 cups long grain rice
- 2 sprigs parsley, chopped
- 1 onion, quartered
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- ½ cup butter or lard
- 1 medium onion, chopped fine
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup grated Colby jack or cheddar cheese
- Tortilla chips
- Salsa
- Guacamole
Step 1: Overnight or quick-soak the beans with the salt. Thoroughly drain and rinse the beans.
Step 2: Place the soaked beans in an instant pot if you’re in a hurry or slow cooker if you have several hours. Cook until the beans are tender—35 minutes under pressure or 5-6 hours on high in the slow cooker.
Step 3: Place the ¼ cup oil into a large saute pan. Add the rice and saute until the rice is dry and toasty. Remove from the heat.
Step 4: Puree the celery, quartered onion, garlic, tomatoes, and salt in a blender. Add this to the rice and stir together until it thickens. Stir in the chicken broth and parsley and cover the pan. Cook for about 20 minutes.
Step 3: Melt the butter or lard over medium heat. Stir in the onion and salt and cook for 2-3 minutes until the onion softens. Stir in the garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds. Remove the beans from the cooking liquid, which you should reserve in case the beans need to be thinned, and place them in a large bowl. Pour the onion mixture over the beans and mash everything together until it reaches your desired consistency. Add additional bean broth if they are too dry. Set aside and keep warm.
Step 4: Check the seasoning in the beans and rice and add additional salt if necessary. Serve the beans hot with melted cheese on top. Serve with rice, salsa, guacamole, and tortilla chips!