Ingredients
2cupsrefried beans,(from one 15 oz can or homemade)
1tspbacon fat,(or 1 strip of bacon, cooked and minced), optional
1tspchipotle powder,or tabasco chipotle sauce, or adobo sauce, more to taste (or plain chili powder to taste)
½tspground cumin
salt
1cupcheddar cheese,or monterey jack cheese, shredded
¼cupgreen anaheim chiles,canned, chopped, or 1 tbsp chopped pickled jalapeños (more to taste)
1avocado,peeled and chopped
1hot house tomato,cut in half horizontally, seeds and juice gently squeezed out and discarded, chopped
⅓cupsour cream,or crema Mexicana (Mexican sour cream)
1cupblack olives,sliced ripe, (from a 15 oz can)
corn tortilla chips,to serve
Preparation
Heat the refried beans in a medium sauté pan or cast iron skillet. Stir in enough water to get a creamy, easily dip-able consistency, of about ¼ of a cup.
The taste of refried beans is greatly enhanced by bacon fat; add a teaspoon to canned beans or a tablespoon or more to taste if making the beans from scratch. If there is no bacon fat, cook up a strip of bacon, chop it up fine and add that to the beans.
Mix in the chipotle chili powder (or Tabasco, or adobo, or regular chili powder) and cumin to taste. Note that the avocados and the sour cream will cool down the spiciness of the beans considerably.
Stir in salt to taste.
Once the beans are hot and bubbly, spread them over the bottom of a warmed serving dish. Immediately add the shredded cheese so that the heat from the beans helps melt the cheese.
Layer on the chopped green chilies, chopped avocado, chopped tomato. Spoon on the sour cream (or crema Mexicana, crema fresca, or even cream fraiche).
Top with sliced green onions and olives. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.
