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From: schwager@uiucdcs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.veg
Subject: Refried Beans, Burritos, Chips- Mmm - (nf)
Message-ID: <43200005@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 8-Aug-84 19:37:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.43200005
Posted: Wed Aug  8 19:37:00 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 10-Aug-84 01:01:20 EDT
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Nf-ID: #N:uiucdcs:43200005:000:5052
Nf-From: uiucdcs!schwager    Aug  8 18:37:00 1984

#N:uiucdcs:43200005:000:5052
uiucdcs!schwager    Aug  8 18:37:00 1984

[is this line animal or vegetable?]

Ok, guys and gals- the moment everyone's been waiting for... I finally get
down to submitting recipes to net.veg!  And to start, what say we go south
of the border for some good Mexican fare?  Here's my very own recipe for
some yummy refried beans, to be included in bean burritos, tortilla chips,
and bean dip.  You can add a salad on the side.  There's enough here for
4-5 people.  Many of the ingredients are variable; no quantity is critical.
Mexican food lovers, enjoy!

List of ingredients:
4 cups pinto beans (you can substitute 1-1.5 cups soybeans if you want)
1 large onion
1 medium size jar taco sauce or the like (mild is best; you can pour on all
	the hot sauce you want later)  Chunky type of sauces are the best.
	by the way, medium = ~12oz.
1 package flour tortilla shells
1 or 2 packages corn tortilla shells (get two if you like chips!)
3 cloves garlic OR garlic powder
2 tomatoes
Half head leaf lettuce (head lettuce is okay, I guess)
Vegetable oil
8-12 oz. Sharp Cheddar (best) Mild Cheddar (okay), or Colby (dubious) Cheese.
4 oz. Swiss Cheese (optional)
Optional: container of plain yogurt or sour cream (about 8 oz.)  Sour cream is
more flavorful but also more decadent.  I've found that putting some yogurt 
plus a small amount of medium hot taco sauce in the burrito tastes good.

Start the beans early- at least 5 hours before dinner.  Place the beans in a
covered pot with 8-12 cups of water.  The less water you use, the closer
you'll have to watch it.  Bring the pot to a boil, then turn the heat down
LOW.  You want a nice slow simmer.  Squeeze in the garlic cloves, or add
a teaspoon of garlic powder.  Simmer the beans until soft- at least 3 hours,
probably 5.  Check the pot and stir every half hour or so.  This is a good
lazy-day type of meal to put together.  As an alternative, you can start the
beans soaking the night before.  I'm not sure how long you need to boil
them after that- an hour or two, I think.  Just boil them till they're soft.
If you start them very early and they get done way ahead of time, just
let them sit around.  They're going to get mashed up anyhow, so overcooking
isn't a critical concern.  

The beans should be done at least half an hour before dinner.  About 45 minutes
before dinner, dice the onion and tomatoes, grate the cheese, and preheat oven
to 350 degrees.  Place enough oil into a large frying pan to cover the bottom,
and put in half the onions.  Fry until translucent and soft.  Your beans
should be ready.  Add half of them to the onions.  Use a medium-low flame or
heat.  Now, using a potato masher or some other similar utensil (hmm... what
else can you mash with?  I don't know myself- a potato masher worked pretty
well), mash up the beans to a consistency of paste.  Add taco or burrito sauce
to taste.  Add water to get a nice smooth consistency.  It shouldn't be runny,
but it shouldn't be gnarly looking either.  Guess what?  You've just made
vegetarian refried beans!  Now place the beans in an uncovered casserole or
crock pot.  Add half to 2/3 of the Cheddar, and sprinkle in the Swiss cheese.
Bake for about half an hour, or until the cheese on top starts to bubble. 
That's the bean dip.

While it's baking, mash the second half of the beans and onions as before.
I do it in two batches because it gets too unwieldly with all of it in the
pan.  Heat up a pot of oil, and slice the corn tortillas in sixths.  Deep
fry 'em until they get stiff.  Do a few at a time.  Don't wait till they
brown, that means they're burnt!  It only takes a minute for the chips to fry,
so watch closely.  Salt them as soon as they come out.  I use Morton's
Nature's Seasons, it adds a nice flavor to the chips.  Use it sparingly,
you're going to be dipping them anyhow.  You can warm the chips up in the
oven just before dinner if you want.  
 
Now everything should be ready to roll.  You might want to make a salad with
the leftover half of lettuce plus other veggies.  Otherwise, it's a very
bean-y affair.  I've found that it's fun for people to assemble their 
burritos themselves, I just set out all the fixin's.  Get another frying
pan and warm it over a low flame or heat.  Toss in a small splattering of
water, and toss a flour tortilla over it.  Silverstone or teflon is best for
not sticking.  You don't need the water necessarily, I've found that it 
helped, but if you use it I don't guarantee you can get the tortilla off of a
non-teflon pan.  As soon as the water evaporates, scoop up the tortilla,
splatter some more water on the pan, and flip the tortilla into the pan.  Put
the tortilla on a plate when done, and place an elongated blob of refried
beans on it.  You can add lettuce, tomato, cheese (next to the beans so it
melts a bit), yogurt or sour cream, and taco sauce as you please.  This meal
has gone over pretty well with my friends- it's cheap and easy also (my
detailed explanation notwithstanding).  And of course, we have complementary
proteins (beans & grain).  Enjoy!
-mike schwager (...ihnp4!uiucdcs!schwager)