Bean Burritoes

The bean burritos are something I've never done before.  I soaked my black beans overnight, and then at 5 this morning when Baby A woke up to eat, I went downstairs after she was snug in bed again and rinsed the beans, putting them into the crock pot with enough water to cover them 1 inch plus some salt, and stuck it on low.  At 9am I stirred them, adding more salt, and then left them until noon... time to turn them into refried beans.  To do that, I drained and rinsed them.  Then I sautéed a bit of onion in a pan with some lard (bacon fat would have been wonderful had I had some), put the beans in with enough water to mash them into a paste, and added chili powder, cumin, oregano, and a dash or two of garlic powder, plus salt to taste.  The recipe called for one can refried beans plus 1 tsp chili, and 1/2 each cumin and oregano and a dash of garlic.  I didn't measure.  I also made my own tortilla shells.

Tortilla Shells
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
salt
1 Tbsp lard
3/4 cup water

Mix dry ingredients, add lard and blend with fingers until the mix feels like cornmeal.  Add water and knead until elastic and smooth.  Divide into 12 balls.  On a floured surface, roll out one tortilla shell very thin.  Fry it in a pan over medium heat until it bubbles on one side.  Flip and fry a little longer.  You might be able to roll out your next tortilla shell in the time it takes to fry it.  When done, place on a plate with a towel over top to keep it warm (and prevent it from drying out).  Makes 12 medium tortillas.

To make the burritos, we assemble them at the table.  We like to mix in sour cream, green onions, peppers, salsa, cheese, or whatever else we have on hand.  The kids enjoyed these as they didn't fall apart as easily as our usual burritos.