Fried Plantains with Refried Black Beans and Mexican Cream
Platanos fritos con frijoles negro y crema mexicana~definitely one of my gastronomic pleasures! Although commercially-prepared refried beans are readily available in most grocery shops, I sometimes prefer to make my own at home. Very simple recipe really. It is just a question of how long I am willing to wait for my favorite treat!
Ingredients
Refried Black Beans
1 cup dried black beans, picked over and soaked overnight
3 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 cup onions, finely chopped
8 to 12 cups water
vegetable oil
Porcedure
Drain the bean from the soaking liquid and rinse. Place beans, half of the garlic and enough water to cover in a deep pot. (Water should be maintained at two-inch level above beans throughout cooking).
Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce the heat to low. Cook until beans are tender, around 1 hour. Remove from heat and drain, reserving bean liquid.
Puree cooked beans in a food processor or blender, adding around 1 cup of the bean liquid. Beans can also be placed in a bowl and mashed by hand.
Cover bottom of pan with enough oil and heat.
Add the onions and garlic, and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the pureed beans, stirring until mixture thickens to desired consistency and pulls from sides of pan.
Season with salt and black pepper. Keep at room temperature.
Fried Plantains
2 to 3 Plaintains, peeled and sliced lengthwise
vegetable oil
Heat oil in a wide pan. Fry plantain slices until golden brown.
Serve with crema mexicana (Hispanic fresh cream) and refried black beans.
TIP:
No crema mexicana at home? Add a couple of tbsps of milk to sour cream, season with salt and whip to desired consistency.
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