Anafres

Ingredients

Beans

• 500 gcooked red beans, with some liquid
• 1onion, finely chopped
• 3garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 tablespoonsoil or lard
• 1 teaspoonground cumin
• salt to taste

Cheese

• 250 gquesillo, Honduran melting cheese
• or 250 g mozzarella and a little feta
• 50 gcrumbled hard white cheese, for the top

Sometimes added

• 100 gchorizo, chopped and fried
• 1chilli, finely chopped
• chopped coriander

To serve

• tortilla chips, totopos
• an anafre, or a small heatproof dish

Directions

1. Cook dried beans until very soft. If using dried kidney beans, boil them hard first. Keep some of the bean liquid for the texture. Heat the oil or lard in a heavy pan.
2. Fry the chopped onion until soft and golden. Give it about eight minutes there. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the cumin and fry it briefly.
3. Add the beans with a little of their liquid. Mash the beans with a wooden spoon as they heat.
4. Work them against the base of the pan. Some cooks blend them smooth instead. Keep cooking and mashing for ten minutes. It should be thick enough to scoop.
5. Add bean liquid if it thickens too far. Season it well with plenty of salt. Taste it and adjust the seasoning. Tear or grate it into small pieces. Assembling it is quick enough. Spoon the hot beans into a heatproof dish.
6. Scatter the melting cheese over the top. Add fried chorizo if you are using it. Scatter the crumbled hard cheese over that. Melting it can be done two ways.
7. Heat the oven up to 200C for it. Bake it for about twelve minutes. The cheese should be melted and bubbling. Scatter chopped coriander over the top. Set the dish in the middle of the table. Pile tortilla chips around it.

Technique

• The anafre brazier is a small clay or metal charcoal burner used across Central America for keeping food hot at the table.
• The dish takes its name from it, which is why the plural is used even for a single serving.

Substitutions

• Mozzarella with a little feta is the nearest substitute for quesillo.
• Tinned refried beans can be used, though the flavour is much flatter.

Variations

• A version with chorizo mixed through the beans is very common.
• Some restaurants add a layer of chimol, the fresh tomato salsa.
• A vegetarian version leaves out the chorizo and uses oil rather than lard.

History

Named for the anafre, the small charcoal brazier that keeps the pot hot; it is the standard shared starter in Honduran restaurants.

Frequently asked questions

What is Anafres?

Anafres is a snack from Honduras: refried beans and cheese bubbling in a clay brazier, scooped with tortilla chips. Named for the anafre, the small charcoal brazier that keeps the pot hot; it is the standard shared starter in Honduran restaurants.

How long does Anafres take to make?

Anafres takes 20 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6 as a starter. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Anafres?

Yes, within limits. Mozzarella with a little feta is the nearest substitute for quesillo. Tinned refried beans can be used, though the flavour is much flatter.

What is the most important thing to get right in Anafres?

The dish takes its name from it, which is why the plural is used even for a single serving.