Frijoles puercos – refried beans with chorizo, bacon and cheese

Ingredients for 4 portions

• 250 gDried pinto beans, ideally bayo beans
• ≈ 1.5 lWater
• ½Yellow onion, in one piece
• to tasteSalt
• 2 tbspLard
• 100 gBacon, in small pieces
• 130 gMexican chorizo, skinned
• 60 gPickled jalapeño slices, chopped
• 60 gGreen olives, pitted and chopped
• 100 gChihuahua cheese, grated

Method

1. Pick over and rinse the beans. Put them in a pot with the water and the piece of onion and bring to the boil.
2. Cover and simmer the beans over a low heat for about 2 hours, until completely soft. Top up with hot water if needed and add salt for the last 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cut the bacon into small pieces, skin the chorizo and chop the jalapeños and olives. Grate the cheese.
4. When the beans are nearly done, heat the lard in a wide casserole over a medium heat and fry the bacon for 5 minutes. Add the chorizo and fry for 5 minutes more, stirring, until cooked through and crumbly.
5. Remove the piece of onion. Add the beans with a little of their broth to the casserole and mash them with a potato masher. Fry for about 10 minutes, stirring and adding more broth, until thick and creamy and coming away from the base.
6. Stir in the jalapeños with a splash of their pickling liquid and the olives and heat for 2 minutes.
7. Scatter over the cheese, cover and let it melt for about 3 minutes. Serve hot.

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