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Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Do these beans make me look fat?
Finally, a book celebrating the oft maligned crown jewel of the food pyramid.
The book, which is by author Jennifer McLagan and comes out September 16, goes into far more detail about fat than most people would enjoy, but the fabulous recipes will cure your hankering for bonafide refried beans (see recipe below), brown butter ice cream and, should you so desire, whole roasted veal kidney.
Fat is beautiful in so many forms, but lard in particular is a food darling right now. I grew up using Crisco in cookies and such, but can’t recall cooking with the real deal. You can get lard everywhere and, if you keep it in the fridge, it will last a long time. Pie crusts made with lard are legendary in their flakiness and taste, and we all know that refried beans aren’t really refried beans unless they are made with lard.
Lard — and, let’s face it, fat altogether — have gotten the short end of the butter stick for decades. No fat, low fat, good fat, bad fat have taken over our culinary vocabulary, replacing responsible fat consumption, which people were exercising for hundreds of glorious food years before the f word became so cursed.
So, to get you started thinking about how you can use lard in your own kitchen, here’s the official “Fat” recipe for refried beans. (I particularly like the last instruction.)
Refried beans
1 1/2 cups pinto beans
2 onions
generous pinch of dried epazote
2/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp. lard
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Soak the beans overnight in cold water to cover. Drain the beans, discarding the soaking water, and place them in a saucepan. Cut 1 onion in half and add it to the saucepan. Add the epazote and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, lower the heat, and simmer until the beans are very soft, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Drain the beans, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Using a potato masher, mash the beans. Finely chop the remaining onion. In a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, melt 2/3 cup of the lard. When it is melted, add the chopped onion and cook, stirring, until softened.
Add the beans to the onion and gradually stir in 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid to make a soft puree. Continue stirring until heated through, adding more of the cooking liquid if the beans become dry, and season well with salt and pepper.
Serve drizzled with the remaining 2 tablespoons of fat, melted, if desired.
Did you know? According to “Fat,” epazote, an herb available at many area grocery stores and Latin markets, is a carminative, meaning it relieves flatulence, as if you needed another excuse to try this particular bean recipe.
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