Cuban Style Black Beans Recipes

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.

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, cover the beans with water, covering them by 2 inches. Add bay leaf, cumin, oregano, and Italian pepper. Simmer until the beans are tender, about 45 minutes.
• After 45 minutes, remove the pepper.
• In a saute pan, saute onions, red, and green peppers until translucent. Puree in a blender, this is the sofrito.
• In the same pan, saute the garlic. Add to the beans, along with the sofrito, 1/4-cup olive oil, sugar, and vinegar. Season with salt and continue to cook until very thick, about 45 minutes. Garnish with finely chopped red onion.

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.

Steps:

• Wash beans.
• In a large pot, soak the beans with the first chopped bell pepper in water until swollen. Overnight?.
• **It doesn't say so but I'd drain it at this point and add new water so the beans won't be so musical if you know what I mean.**.
• Cook until soft about 45 minutes.
• Heat oil in a medium pan. Add onion, second bell pepper and garlic and cook until soft.
• Add 1 cup of cooked beans and mash them well. Add mixture to bean pot.
• Add dry seasonings to the pot.
• Cover and boil 1 hour.
• Add vinegar and wine.
• Cover and simmer 1 hour.
• If broth is too watery, uncover and cook until it thickens.
• Just before serving stir in the olive oil.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, soak beans in water to cover overnight.
• Rinse beans, and transfer to a large stock pot. Add onion, bell peppers, bay leaves, paprika, cumin, oregano, and chile peppers, along with water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
• Test beans for tenderness, and when tender add garlic and balsamic vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste.