Local name: Tacos de frijoles refritos
Mashed, fragrant black beans on warm corn tortillas with avocado, red onion and salsa verde.
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Corn tortillas are naturally gluten-free and easy to find in Latin American grocers. Warmed in a dry pan they become soft and fragrant.
Medium heat, no browning: the onion should turn translucent and sweet, not toasted.
An estimate computed from the recipe quantities and the USDA food composition database. Real values vary with the products used.
No, the liquid goes into the pan with them. The starch suspended in it binds the mixture during the 10-minute simmer and gives refried beans their creaminess. Without it you would have to add water and the flavour would be flatter.
Thirty seconds a side on a hot dry pan softens a corn tortilla and wakes up its aroma. Cold, it cracks when folded. Stack them in a cloth as you go, where their own steam keeps them pliable.
To a creamy but still rustic texture, with recognisable whole beans left in. A potato masher suits this better than a blender, which gives a uniform purée that slides straight out of the tortilla.
What the milpa and nixtamalisation bring to a meatless meal, how dry charring builds a sauce, and what the Spanish added to the repertoire.
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