#2 - Cuban black beans
Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2014 8:59 am
This is a good starter recipe. I do not make them as well as my mother but enjoy adding and manipulating the recipe to experiment. Feel free to do the same. Also, this is a quick recipe. Dry beans, brined and flavored yield the best results.
4 cans, rinsed & drained - black beans
1 bell pepper
2 med onion
1 head garlic
5 bay leaves
6 C stock
1 can diced tomatoes
1-2 ham hocks
1/8 C olive oil + 1 T
S & P to taste
Dice onions, 1/2 head of garlic & bell pepper and saute in olive oil. Salt liberally. I take it far, past translucent. Because of the garlic you must stir constantly so it does not burn. Add garlic later if you are not confident in this or you will ruin dish. Rinse off beans and set aside. After about 15 minutes, add beans, bay leaves, ham hock, tomatoes and final T of olive oil. Saute for two minutes to flash cook the ingredients so as not to taste like "can". Add stock. This will look like soup, not beans initially. Simmer for an hour or two until there does not look like everything is just floating. Do not over reduce. The beans will continue to soak up the moisture and over reduction can make the dish dry. You want there to be a starchy "sauce" when served. *Note* - I omitted salting the dish after the veg was cooked. This is due to the ham hocks. A good hock will be incredibly smokey and salty. A basic will not. You should taste as the beans are cooking to determine if any needs to be added. This is another reason over reduction is so important. You do not want to over reduce your way to salty, inedible beans. Trust me!
Serve beans over warm rice and top with a little "salad" of fresh shaved raw white onion in a good vinegar & oil mixture. It really pops the "Moros y Cristianos". I don't know why. Enjoy, and have fun throwing things in and/or substituting ingredients. I like Guajillo chilies in while braising. Yum!
4 cans, rinsed & drained - black beans
1 bell pepper
2 med onion
1 head garlic
5 bay leaves
6 C stock
1 can diced tomatoes
1-2 ham hocks
1/8 C olive oil + 1 T
S & P to taste
Dice onions, 1/2 head of garlic & bell pepper and saute in olive oil. Salt liberally. I take it far, past translucent. Because of the garlic you must stir constantly so it does not burn. Add garlic later if you are not confident in this or you will ruin dish. Rinse off beans and set aside. After about 15 minutes, add beans, bay leaves, ham hock, tomatoes and final T of olive oil. Saute for two minutes to flash cook the ingredients so as not to taste like "can". Add stock. This will look like soup, not beans initially. Simmer for an hour or two until there does not look like everything is just floating. Do not over reduce. The beans will continue to soak up the moisture and over reduction can make the dish dry. You want there to be a starchy "sauce" when served. *Note* - I omitted salting the dish after the veg was cooked. This is due to the ham hocks. A good hock will be incredibly smokey and salty. A basic will not. You should taste as the beans are cooking to determine if any needs to be added. This is another reason over reduction is so important. You do not want to over reduce your way to salty, inedible beans. Trust me!
Serve beans over warm rice and top with a little "salad" of fresh shaved raw white onion in a good vinegar & oil mixture. It really pops the "Moros y Cristianos". I don't know why. Enjoy, and have fun throwing things in and/or substituting ingredients. I like Guajillo chilies in while braising. Yum!