Black beans. The first taste I remember. The first Cuban dish I learned to cook.  My grandmother, Mama, gave me the recipe over the phone so I could cook Cuban food for my friends in my little apartment. It was an simple recipe and they turned out great. One friend mentioned that he began seasoning his beans in the same fashion. Vinegar, oregano, and bay leaf make this humble dish savory, zingy, yet complex. They are best made in a large batch, so they can be consumed over a week. The ripen with flavor each day, as does any good soup or stew.

Serve them over white rice.

Or enjoy them alone in a bowl, with some sliced tomato and avocado on top, or on the side to alternate your bites.

My family ate them cold, spooning them onto saltine crackers. Mama would puree them on third day transforming them into a soup, which I loved to eat with garlic croutons.

There are many versions of the black bean recipe, incorporating pork products, cumin, cilantro, wine, sugar, assorted family secrets etc.

I plan on exploring a few of these variations, but I would like to present the basic recipe that Mama gave me so many years ago.

The recipe is for both dry bean and canned bean preparations-slow and fast methods.

Quick note about preparing dry beans. The night before I’m going to cook the beans, I place 2 cups of dry beans in a Tupperware container (you can use any container with a lid), and add enough water to cover the beans at least inch above-this is make sure the beans remain covered with water as they will duplicate in size overnight. The next day before cooking them, I pour them into a colander and rinse them cold water. I do not add any more water until they enter the pot.

BLACK BEANS (FRIJOLES NEGROS)

INGREDIENTS

1/3 Cup of Spanish Olive Oil
3 Cans of Black Beans with Liquid or 2 Cup of Dry Beans (4 Cups after Soaking)
1 Large Spanish Onion Diced
5 Cloves of Garlic Diced
1/2 Green Bell Pepper Diced
1 Tablespoon of Oregano
2 Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar
2 Bay Leaves
Salt & Pepper to taste.

Using a dutch oven or any 5-6 quart pot, heat the olive oil on a medium flame, until it begins to shimmer. Add onions to pot, making sure to get them coated with oil, spreading them out to distribute the heat. When onions begin to soften and turn translucent, mix in the garlic.

Onions take longer than garlic to soften, and I used burn my garlic when I put them in together at the start. My friend Lauren taught me to start with the onion, then add garlic, and I’ve never burnt the garlic since.

Let the garlic and onion combine, turning soft and yellow together.  I love the smell of them cooking. It’s the scent of possibilities-the beginnings of a dish. The longer you allow your onions and garlic to soften, the deeper the flavor they will impart.

FOR CANNED BEANS-Add the black beans with can liquid.

FOR DRY BEANS-Add the pre-soaked beans to onion/garlic mixture, mix, and add salt & pepper. Then add 3 cups of water to cover the beans with liquid to allow them to poach, yet not too much to dilute the flavor.

After adding the beans, stir in oregano, balsamic vinegar, bay leaves, salt & pepper. Lower heat, cover and simmer.

FOR CANNED BEANS-They will be ready in 45 minutes. This is not to cook the beans, as they are already done, but to allow all the flavors to come together.

FOR DRY BEANS-They will take about 2 1/2 to 3 hrs in order to cook the beans to tender.

Keep tasting to see if you need to add more salt or vinegar. The dry beans will definitely need salt, but the canned beans may not need as much. I like a bit of a sweet tang to my beans, so I tend to add more vinegar.

Serve over white rice or eat them straight from the bowl.

Beans can last up to 5 days, maybe less depending on rate of consumption…

Buen Provecho!