Almost Cuban Black Beans
1 pound black beans, soaked in water over night
6 to 7 cups water
1 onion, cut in half (do not cut off the ends or it will fall apart)
1/2 green bell pepper, whole with seeds removed
4 to 5 cloves garlic, sliced in half
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons cumin
3/4 teaspoon oregano
2 pinches red/cayenne pepper
2 to 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or to taste
Salt and black pepper, to taste
*Salt-start with 1/2 teaspoon salt, then go up if needed
1) Drain the soaked black beans. Place the beans, water, onion halves, bell pepper half, garlic, and bay leaves in a pot. Bring to a boil and leave at a high boil for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring intermittently. Once done, skim off any foam, lower the heat to low, and place the top on at an angle.
2) Cook on low heat stirring intermittently for one to two hours or until beans are firm yet soft. In the last ten minutes of cooking, add the cumin, oregano, cayenne, salt, pepper and vinegar. Enjoy!
*Never add salt to stewing beans till the last ten minutes-this can create mush by destroying the outer shell.
Source of recipe: From my blog: http://thewitchykitchen.blogspot.com/2010/05/black-beans-tostones.html
SO HOW'D IT GO?
:w00t!: I love Black Beans and I love Plantains! I think I'll make this tonight. :)>>>
Great recipe! Very easy to make and tasted fantastic. The day I made them I was actually disappointed because they came out watery. We ate them anyway, but the leftovers went in the fridge. The next day, they were perfect -- exactly how I expected them to be. Now to figure out how to get them to the right consistency on the first day would be perfect.
Hey Shamupops,
Thank you! I agree with you. It is such a delicious and healthful meal. My experience is that everyone loves it too (vegans, vegetarians, and carnivores). Oh, and dry beans are the way to go for both taste and pocket book relief (smile).
I made these black beans with brown rice and the tostones from your blog post, they were so great! I love black beans and rice, so I was excited to try a new way to prepare them! This was my first attempt making my own beans, and they came out amazing! The tostones were really good too! Thanks for a great recipe and an awesome meal idea!
Hi HopFrog, I'm glad you liked it. I might try your pressure cooker method next time I make the black beans.
Oh, and that photo is an anomaly (smile)...
Yum! I thought this recipe would translate well to the pressure cooker, and I was right. After soaking, it was about 25 minutes total time (pressure cook the beans and vegetables for 6 minutes - let the pressure come down naturally, add seasonings and cook the last 10 minutes as the directions state) . Only thing different I did was reduce the water to 4 cups because pressure cooking loses less water to evaporation. When I have more time, I'll do the longer method and see if I notice any difference that makes it worth the extra time.
Overall a delicious, healthy, cheap, EASY recipe that I'll be sure to make again. Thanks!
zfanatique: your photo is gorgeous!
Hey Ubik and Everyone! Yes, just use half of a green or red pepper in the pot and remove at the end. Same with the onion-cut in half without removing the barky end, so that it does not fall apart in the beans. Do cut the flaky outside of the onion off though-that will not be good in the beans (smile).
By the way, I appreciate your question. Gives me some objective insight into how I write and how it is later interpreted. If you ever see my name here on food your'e interested in, you can immediately ask me through my blog listed above (faster response time)...
Hello! This recipe sounds great except I am very confused about the onion and green pepper. Am I supposed to put the halves of these in without cutting? Are they to fall apart during cooking or are they removed at the end? Thanks to anyone who can help poor me. :)
Not sure what the original poster means by this either. But it doesn't look like there are any pieces of peppers or onions in the beans. Just remove the onion and green pepper halves before serving. That's how my family has always done it. Hope that helps.
It does seem like you're suppose to remove them at the end.
I think what the OP means by 'not cutting the ends off', is to cut the onion in half, but don't cut the root and sprout ends off. That will keep the onions layers from falling apart.
Hello! This recipe sounds great except I am very confused about the onion and green pepper. Am I supposed to put the halves of these in without cutting? Are they to fall apart during cooking or are they removed at the end? Thanks to anyone who can help poor me. :)
Not sure what the original poster means by this either. But it doesn't look like there are any pieces of peppers or onions in the beans. Just remove the onion and green pepper halves before serving. That's how my family has always done it. Hope that helps.
Hello! This recipe sounds great except I am very confused about the onion and green pepper. Am I supposed to put the halves of these in without cutting? Are they to fall apart during cooking or are they removed at the end? Thanks to anyone who can help poor me. :)
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