Best 5 Traditional Cuban Black Bean Recipes

CUBAN-STYLE BLACK BEANS

Steps:

• Soak the beans with the baking soda in 10 cups of water for about 3 hours. Rinse and drain.
• Add the beans to a Dutch oven and add 10 cups fresh water, along with the olive oil, cumin, oregano, sugar, vinegar, cilantro stems, bay leaves and onion. Simmer until the beans are soft, about 2 hours. Add 2 teaspoons of salt (or more to taste) and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

FRIJOLES NEGROS RECIPE

Steps:

• In a pot, place your beans and water. Don't drain the beans of their juice. Bring to a boil and let simmer.
• While simmering, add your pepper, garlic, onion, and olive oil to a pan and sauté for about five minutes or until ingredients are translucent. Chop the ingredients finely or use a grater if you prefer not to have them visible in the beans.
• Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot with the beans including your sautéed mixture.
• If desired, you can place a bit of the black beans in the sautéed mixture first and mash them up in order for the pepper mixture to mix better with the beans. This helps thicken the consistency.
• Stir well and allow to simmer for 5-7 minutes on low heat.
• Add a bit more olive oil right before serving.

CUBAN BLACK BEANS

Steps:

• Rinse and sort beans; soak according to package directions. Drain and rinse beans, discarding liquid. , Place beans in a large saucepan; add 6 cups water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until tender, 1-1/2 to 2 hours., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute peppers and onions in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomato puree, sherry, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until thickened, 8-10 minutes. Drain beans; discard bay leaf. Stir beans into tomato mixture.

ABUELO PELáEZ'S FRIJOLES NEGROS (BLACK BEANS)

Steps:

• In a large pot, soak beans overnight in 10 cups of water.
• Add 1 tablespoon oil, the onion, bell pepper, garlic cloves and bay leaf to beans, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour, checking regularly and skimming the foam that forms on top.
• Meanwhile, make the sofrito. Warm remaining 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the half onion, 1 bell pepper and 3 garlic cloves and sauté for about 5 minutes until soft. Add 1 bay leaf, cumin, oregano, black pepper and salt, and cook for 2 minutes more.
• Add the sofrito to beans. Stir in sherry vinegar, wine and olives, and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened and cooked through. Remove both bay leaves, and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and add sugar. Serve as soup or a side dish, or over white rice.

CUBAN BLACK BEANS

Steps:

• Cut 1 green pepper into 1-inch squares. Smash and peel 4 of the garlic cloves. Put the green pepper and garlic into a large pot with the beans, ham hock, bay leaves and 1 tablespoon salt. Add 2 quarts water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer until the beans are tender, an hour or more.
• Meanwhile, make a sofrito. Cut the remaining ½ green pepper into ¼-inch dice. Peel and finely chop the remaining garlic. Heat the olive oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the green pepper and onion and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeño (leave out the seeds if you don't want it too spicy), oregano, cumin, black pepper and 2 teaspoons salt and stir for another minute. Pour in the vinegar and scrape any browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. This is your sofrito.
• When the beans are cooked, discard the bay leaf. Remove and set aside the ham hock and let it cool. Transfer 1 cup of beans to small bowl, mash them into a paste with the back of a fork and return to the pot. Add the sofrito, then the sugar. Pull the meat from the ham hock, leaving behind any white sinew or gristle. Chop the ham into ½-inch pieces and return it to the bean pot.
• Stir the beans well and bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so, skimming any foam from the top. Taste for salt and serve with white rice.