craig's recipes

Authentic Cuban Black Beans and Rice

This is pretty much the classic recipe for Cuban Black Beans and Rice. Black Beans with Rice is a peasant dish. The traditional dish gets its main flavors from onion, garlic, bell pepper, pork fat and, of course, the beans. I've changed the recipe a little, using bacon instead of just pork fat. This recipe also has bouillon cubes, vinegar, a little cumin, black pepper and oregano, which are found in many versions of this dish.

Other recipes you might like are Red Beans and Rice and Hoppin' John.

Recipe by: craig Servings: 8 Preparation Time: 3:30 Categories: Cuban, Beans, Main Dish

Ingredients

1 pound black beans (frijoles negros)

1 pound Bacon, chopped.

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 bell peppers, chopped

2 or 3 chicken, ham, or beef bouillon cubes, or three teaspoons bouillon powder

½ teaspoon dried oregano, or 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh

1½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 Tablespoon vinegar (preferably cider or red wine vinegar)

Salt to taste

Preparing the Black Beans

Rinse and sort through the black beans in a colander, making sure there are no small stones, dirt, or bad beans.

Put the beans in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and allow to simmer for three minutes. Leave covered allowing beans to soak over-night.

After soaking, add more water if necessary to cover beans, then bring to a simmer and simmer for two hours. Continue to add water if necessary.

Finely chop the bacon and cook over low heat in a large covered pan until lightly browned and crisp. Add the onion, garlic and bell pepper, cover and cook until the onion is transparent.

Add the bacon onion mixture to the beans, using a silicone scraper to get all the bacon fat. Stir into the beans.

Add the bouillon, oregano, cumin and black pepper to the beans, stirring well.

Continue to simmer the beans for at least another hour, until they reach the consistency that you desire.

Remove the beans from the heat, stir in the vinegar. Add salt to taste.

These beans can be served as a side dish to go with other foods, like ribs, or they can be used as a main dish. When using as a main dish, serve the beans beside an equal portion of a nice white long-grain rice. I like to use Jasmine rice because it cooks up to be a nice bright white color and has a flavor that goes well with the beans. Garnish with a few sprigs of cilantro or parsley. A nice salad of baby spinach leaves, avocado, red onion, mango, and a lime vinaigrette will go well with this.