Kathy Pitts’ Frijoles Refritos (refried Beans)

Whoever desires to be saved should above all hold to the catholic faith. Anyone who does not keep it whole and unbroken will doubtless perish eternally. Now this is the catholic faith: That we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity, neither blending their persons nor dividing their essence. For the person of the Father is a distinct person, the person of the Son is another, and that of the Holy Spirit still another. But the divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, their glory equal, their majesty coeternal. What quality the Father has, the Son has, and the Holy Spirit has. The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, the Holy Spirit is uncreated. The Father is immeasurable, the Son is immeasurable, the Holy Spirit is immeasurable. The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, the Holy Spirit is eternal. And yet there are not three eternal beings; there is but one eternal being. So too there are not three uncreated or immeasurable beings; there is but one uncreated and immeasurable being. Similarly, the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, the Holy Spirit is almighty. Yet there are not three almighty beings; there is but one almighty being. Thus the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Yet there are not three gods; there is but one God. Thus the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord. Yet there are not three lords; there is but one Lord. Just as Christian truth compels us to confess each person individually as both God and Lord, so catholic religion forbids us to say that there are three gods or lords. The Father was neither made nor created nor begotten from anyone. The Son was neither made nor created; he was begotten from the Father alone. The Holy Spirit was neither made nor created nor begotten; he proceeds from the Father and the Son. Accordingly there is one Father, not three fathers; there is one Son, not three sons; there is one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits. Nothing in this trinity is before or after, nothing is greater or smaller; in their entirety the three persons are coeternal and coequal with each other. So in everything, as was said earlier, we must worship their trinity in their unity and their unity in their trinity. Anyone then who desires to be saved should think thus about the trinity. But it is necessary for eternal salvation that one also believe in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ faithfully. Now this is the true faith: That we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son, is both God and human, equally. He is God from the essence of the Father, begotten before time; and he is human from the essence of his mother, born in time; completely God, completely human, with a rational soul and human flesh; equal to the Father as regards divinity, less than the Father as regards humanity. Although he is God and human, yet Christ is not two, but one. He is one, however, not by his divinity being turned into flesh, but by God's taking humanity to himself. He is one, certainly not by the blending of his essence, but by the unity of his person. For just as one human is both rational soul and flesh, so too the one Christ is both God and human. He suffered for our salvation; he descended to hell; he arose from the dead; he ascended to heaven; he is seated at the Father's right hand; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. At his coming all people will arise bodily and give an accounting of their own deeds. Those who have done good will enter eternal life, and those who have done evil will enter eternal fire. This is the catholic faith: one cannot be saved without believing it firmly and faithfully.

Unknown Author

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Grains, Dairy	Mexican	Beans, Mexican	1	Batch

INGREDIENTS

2	c	Beans, well washed and
		picked over
1		Onion, finely chopped
1		Dried red chile pepper
		crushed
6	c	Water or ham broth. Up to
		1 cup may be beer
1	t	Ground cumin
1	T	Mexican oregano
		Lard/drippings for frying
		Grated mild cheddar
		Cheese for garnish, optl

INSTRUCTIONS

1995    
Do not soak the beans overnight (Mexican cooks don't).  Instead,  place
all ingredients in a deep pot, and bring to a boil.  Turn off  the
heat, cover, and allow the beans to sit for an hour.  Return the beans
to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the beans  are tender (to
test, remove one bean from the pot, and blow on it. If  the skin
splits, they're done).  Cooking time will depend on the type  of bean
used (pintos cook fairly quickly, black beans take close to  forever),
the age of the bean, and the mineral content of your water.  Salt to
taste.  Never salt beans at the beginning of the cooking  process, as
the salt will toughen them and they will take longer to  cook.  In a
large shallow pan, preferably a black iron frying pan, melt 3  Tbsp. of
lard or drippings.  When the lard is melted, ladle about a  cup of
beans, including some of the cooking liquid, into the fat. Use  a
potato masher to mash the beans into a puree.  Continue adding  beans
and liquid, along with more fat as needed, and mashing until  all beans
have been used.  The consistancy of this dish varies with personal
preferance.  Some  cooks like a very smooth, almost liquid puree, while
other prefer a  stiffer mixture with some pieces of bean remaining.
The end result  should be glossy, well flavored from the fat, and very
rich tasting.  The beans may be served plain, used as a filling for
warm tortillas,  or garnished with shredded cheese.  A bean and cheese
taco (refried beans, shredded cheese in a fresh  tortilla) is one of my
favorite things to have for breakfast.  They  are also good served as
an accompaniment for scrambled eggs.  NOTE:  Some Mexican recipes for
beans call for a sprig of Epasote  (eppuh -ZOH-tay) to be cooked with
the beans.  This is an herb/weed  known as Pigweed in the U.S.  It
doesn't dry well, but it is very  easy to grow (U.S. farmers consider
it a pest).  If you can get ahold  of a plant, it's worth cultivating,
as it adds a nice, if undefinable  flavor to the bean pot. It is not
common in Tex-Mex beans, however,  so if you encounter it in a recipe,
feel free to omit it.  Kathy in Bryan, TX  Posted to FIDO Cooking echo
by Kathy Pitts from Dec 1, 1994 - Jul 31,  File
ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/kpitts.zip

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