Black Beans and Plantains

Written by on in Sides
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

I was 20 years old the first time I had Cuban food. I was visiting a friend who was working in L.A., and we went to a Cuban restaurant she loved. One taste of Cuban black beans and sweet fried plantains, and I was a fan for life.
That same friend recently recommended a Cuban cookbook, “Paladares” by Anya von Bremzen. I spent a thoroughly enjoyable winter weekend “in” Cuba cooking my way through some traditional recipes.
The photos are of garlic soup, arroz con pollo, black beans, and squash with garlic mojo on the plate together, and then sweet fried plantains. The plantains were cooked several days after everything else to make sure that they were ripe enough – they were worth the wait.
I highly recommend the cookbook. The recipes are easy to follow, and each dish was very good on the first try. The black beans in particular stand out as tasting exactly like they should have based on Cuban restaurant experiences – something I had not duplicated well at home in the past. The black beans recipe, from page 150 of Paladares, is below.
It’s also entirely possible that a few mojitos were consumed during the preparation and consumption of these dishes. I expect there will be future posts from Paladares – there are many more tastes of Cuba to explore.

    Black Beans
    Pin
    Print

    Black Beans

    Course: Sides

    Ingredients

    • For the Beans:

    • 1 lb black beans washed and picked over

    • 1 bay leaf

    • 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

    • 1 clove garlic, smashed

    • For the sofrito

    • 3 tablespoons olive oil

    • 1 cup chopped onion

    • 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

    • 3 large cloves garlic, chopped

    • 1 tablespoon salt

    • 2 teaspoons ground cumin

    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

    • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

    • 1 teaspoon sugar

    Directions

    • Make the beans: Quick-soak the beans to soften them: Place the beans in a pot, add water to cover, and bring to a boil. Immediately turn off the heat and let the beans soak for 2 hours. Drain the beans and leave them in a strainer until ready to use.
    • Place the beans in a large pot and add the bay leaf, green pepper, garlic, and 10 cups water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the beans for 45 minutes to an hour, adding more water if necessary to keep the beans covered.
    • While the beans are cooking, make the sofrito: In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and green pepper and cook until they start to soften, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, oregano and continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
    • Taste the beans for tenderness; they should be smooth and creamy. Stir in the sofrito, red wine vinegar, and sugar and cook for 10 minutes more to blend the flavors.