MexicanFoodWorld.com

How you define a traditional Mexican breakfast depends on how far back in history you want to look. Aztecs thought themselves fortunate to have the first meal of the day be a nice grilled Iguana. A Mayan may well have regarded a raw grasshopper as a delicious fat-rich meal in the morning. While Mexican breakfast from the past few centuries may be a little more recognizable to the gringo eye, it will still have a flavor and style distinctive of this colorful land.

One very simple option is a great French roll. France dominated Mexico for a few years around the time of the American civil war. The influence can still be felt in the consumption of bolillos, which can be eaten plain or dipped in cafe con leche.

As in many countries, breakfast just wouldn’t be the same without eggs. The Arroz con Huevos dish is a great example. Very simple to make and also very healthy, it’s at base poached eggs. But, oh, how that base is enhanced to produce a delicious breakfast. Add rice, tomato and green peppers, then top with cheddar cheese and you’ve got a recipe that everyone will want at least once a week.

If you want something a little lighter, you could just do what many down south do and have some fruit for breakfast. Mangos and papaya are among the favorites, but may also be watermelon, limes or even guava. Oranges are everywhere, thanks to the long days of hot sun.

A Mexican breakfast may very well be entirely liquid. Chocolate is a favorite of those in this Latin land. Here it often takes the form of a spicy, dark brown, granular bar that is often more bitter than usual. But that bar is just as often melted into a delicious hot chocolate drink consumed on a cold morning.

There’s another Mexican breakfast drink that the uninitiated will want to try: horchata. Made from milk, water and sugar just add some cinnamon and vanilla then mix. One popular variation uses rice and mixes the whole concoction in a blender. Sweet and full of energy to get you started for the day.

A sausage burrito is a common Mexican breakfast in many households. But for something a little less common, experiment with a yogurt crepe. Unlike its French cousin, this delightful breakfast dish uses flour tortillas (and to great effect). Filled with vanilla yogurt and stuffed with apricots and peaches it’s healthy, low fat and great tasting.

But for those who simply must have those eggs in the morning, try a variation on the omelette. Down Cabo way they spice it up with cilantro and garlic, then throw in some diced jalapeños and green chiles. If that doesn’t wake you up in the morning, nothing will.

Sure, you can always have refried beans on a tortilla and call it breakfast. Many do and they should know. But there’s a whole country full of Mexican breakfast dishes and only so many mornings in life. Go for some variety and add a little spice to life, Mexican style.

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Two simple steps and you’re on your way to some great tasting refried beans.

Start with great tasting ingredients. Get the freshest possible dried pinto beans. Anything that has been sitting around in a bag for a few months, even dried, will not make for the best result. Plus, the older they are the longer it takes to soften them up. Make it easier on yourself while you make it tasty.

Then lay the beans out, remove any small pieces of gravel, and rinse well in a collander. Yes, dried pinto beans will sometimes come packaged with small pieces of dirt or rock, depending on the source you buy them from. It needn’t ruin the taste and it doesn’t necessarily indicate poor quality beans.

Step one requires softening up the beans. You have two basic ways to do that, either by boiling or using a pressure cooker. A pressure cooker takes a little less time and is a bit easier. But boiling is fine, too. In either case, place 2 1/2 cups (about 1 lb) of beans in about 3 quarts of water, ensuring that it covers the beans a couple of inches. For boiling, boil about 2 1/2 hours stirring occasionally. A pressure cooker will require only about half an hour.

With either method, examine the beans and look for the majority to slightly split the skin. That indicates that the beans have absorbed a lot of water and the skin has softened enough for the added pressure to slightly break the skin.

Then drain the beans in a collander and shake gently.

Add a small amount of water (about 1/4 cup) to a cold iron frying pan and pour in the beans. Add a pinch of salt or other seasonings as desired. Good choices are a bit of chili powder or a small amount of garlic. Then mash the beans slightly with a potato masher. They should be lumpy, not perfectly smooth. Think of mashed potatoes that have not been mashed enough. That’s just about right.

Now drain any excess water and add a bit of lard or canola oil to the pan. Heat the pan to a medium-high level. As the beans fry, continue mashing, but still not too vigorously. The beans should remain somewhat chunky. Too much mashing turns them into soup.

That’s all there is to it!

Of course, there are a hundred tasty alternative recipes.

Some frijoles refritos recipes call for adding chunks of onion to the pan and sauteeing them before adding the beans. That’s fine. Spice it up with a little bit of jalapeño if you want. For more spice, add more chili powder, but take care not to overwhelm the beans (or your tongue).

In some recipes the beans are soaked overnight. That may work, but it often leads to excessively smooth refried beans, especially if you start with fresh ingredients. Be sure that when soaking and boiling you skim off any gray scum that floats to the top as the beans are being prepared.

Now for the most important part. Enjoy!

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