Frijoles Chinitos

Today Adriana is making frijoles chinitos which are a tasty variation on the usual refried beans.  It's made with Peruano Beans - a pale yellow medium size bean which originated in Mexico and may not be widely available outside the country. This slightly sweet and creamy bean absorbs flavors well, yet stays slightly firm after being fully cooked.  It goes well as a side dish or as a soup.  Pinto or black beans could be used, but would not have the same sweet creaminess.

Frijoles chinitos are a combination of beans, milk and cheese.

The process begins with frijoles de la olla = a pot of beans.  This is the usual simple pot of boiled beans. 

1 kilo of beans

½ onion

1 garlic clove (or more to taste)

1 t salt

water to cover by a couple of inches

simmer, covered for about 3 hours

When the beans were done, Adriana used a slotted spoon to ladle about a third of them into a frying pan set over a low flame.  No oil or lard.

She added a cup of milk and some pieces of Chihuahua cheese and began mashing the beans, being careful to keep the beans moving to prevent sticking or scorching.

When her arm got tired, she passed the masher to her son, Nery.

Some tortilla chips and a bit of grated cheese and the bean dip is ready.  A pleasant change from the usual pinto refried bean.

This could be used as a stuffing for a gordita, a taco, a taquito, etc.