Cuban Style Black Beans Please

[LarryR]

So the Mexican black bean thread got me thinking about the Cuban black beans from Trader Joe's. I LOVE this product, so good over rice. Anyone have a recipe that is close to it or just a good Cuban black bean recipe? I searched the Internet but couldn't find where someone had replicated the TJ's recipe.

Damn, may just have to to TJ's today and pick-up some cans to go with the chicken mole I'm making tonight.

 

[Marc]

Have not had the Cuban black beans from Trader Joe's but have had many from visits to Key West and I'd second a request to an equivalent experience. Kevin ?

 

[K Kruger]

I've had TJ's but don't recall it exactly. It is similar to actual Cuban-style beans I've had though.

The approach to Cuban-style beans is quite similar to that used in Mexico. There are of course variations made by individual cooks, but they are pretty minor. The country-style Cuban version is the one I most often have. My neighbor and good friend, Esther Fernandez, from the country outside of Matanzas, cooks black beans several times a week, and always saves some to send home with me. (I walk over for cafe cubano every day that I am home). Her version, to me, is definitive.

Country versions of black beans do not contain meat or meat products. She cooks her beans in a pressure cooker in water alone (no seasoning, no salt) till tender. Meanwhile, she makes a sofrito of onion, green bell pepper and garlic, using a small processor to chop everything finely. (You can use the amounts in the Mexican recipe and scale to taste from there.)

When the beans are tender she adds the sofrito to the pot along with a bay leaf or two and salt to taste, then pressure cooks again for about 5 min to get the flavors into the beans. (If you don't have or use a pressure cooker you can simply cook the beans in a pot till tender, add the sofrito, salt and bay and cook for a while (30-45 min) to release and infuse flavors.) She then adds a little cumin and stirs it in. (I remember, in our first discussion of black beans a few years ago, she telling me that she 'never ever' adds cumin till the end.) She simmers a few minutes, uncovered, on the stove to either reduce the liquid content somewhat or, if already over-reduced, she'll add a little water to thin the mix slightly. (The finish is on the thick-ish side.)

Next she adjusts salt, if needed, then she adds a some sugar, a good splash of vinegar (white or cider), and a good swirl of olive oil. (Some Mexican cooks use a little sugar as well, often piloncillo; others don't. I have never met a Cuban cook that doesn't use sugar.) A good stir, a minute more of cooking, and the beans are served, over rice of course.

 

[D Larsen]

Kevin,

I, too, love Cuban Black Beans ! The Cuban restaurant we visit in Baltimore serves a "Black Bean Soup", which is just that....a soup ! We don't like it very much...

My "Florida Cookbook" has a recipe for "Cuban Black Bean Soup", but the description says "...this soup is more of a stew, a thick mixture of deliciously flavored black beans..."

Does that describe the consistency of your recipe ? BTW, the cookbook recipe uses salt pork, both for the fat as well as added to the beans...and no sugar

I vaguely remember making it years ago....

My BEST memory of black beans was from my husband-and-wife college friends...they were both Cubans, and made us a meal of Cuban Black Beans and a roast "Boliche". Man, that was good

I was too young and stupid to ask for the recipes

Dean...

 

[K Kruger]

Yes, stewy, like thick soup. You can create this via reduction, if necessary, though what I usually do is purée some of the bean mix and stir it back into the pot. Either way works fine.

To clarify my comment, what I mean by 'meat or meat products' is actual meat or stock or broth. These are more often used in red or pinto bean pots. Some cooks do use salt pork or, if in the country and raising their own pigs, a ladle of rendered pork fat or pieces of fatty skin. Rafael, Esther's husband, likes chicharrones in his black beans.

A little sugar is pretty common (I scarcely recall ever not detecting a touch of sweetness--but that's all it is, a touch, as if coming from sweet vegs) though I daresay it's likely that there are cooks that forgo it (especially if ripe pepper is included and/or they sauté their sofrito).

Another thing I don't recall: Having eaten black beans in dozens of Cuban restaurants, and having them served anywhere from very thick to very soupy, I've never seen 'black bean soup' on any menu. Irrespective of the consistency the restaurant's chef prefers, they are referred to as frijoles negros or Moros y Cristianos ('Moors and Christians', an idiom for 'black and white', referring to black beans and white rice).

One thing I remembered today is that some Mexican cooks add a little wine to their bean pot. I do not know Cubans to do this.

 

[LarryR]

Thank you for the replies. Kevin, I read somewhere of someone "mashing" a small portion of beans to give it that "stewy" make-up. What are your thoughts on this?

EDIT: Dumb question, why not just use my blender or food processor? DUH!!!! Maybe I was thinking I don't have the pressure cooker. Can't wait to try these!!

 

[K Kruger]

You can mash and some do. I prefer to purée because them I am adding back a smooth textured mix rather than simply breaking up a bunch of beans.

 

[LarryR]

I'll be doing these tonight, I'll let you know how they turn out!

EDIT: So I was all set to make these last night and as I was setting-up my and my 7 yo son thought the "hat" that sits on the top of my pressure cooker (yes it's an old one) was cool so he decided to play with it and lost it. Nothing like having your heart set on a dish and having to settle for canned refried beans. I'm going to hit a couple thrift stores this afternoon and see if I can find a cooker with a similar hat for purchase or I'll have to purchase a new one. Damn kid lost the remote to my ET 73 a couple of weeks ago too. You buy these kids all these expensive toys and they want to play with a pressure cooker, go figure. Hopefully tonight . . .

 

[D Larsen]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by LarryR:
I'll be doing these tonight, I'll let you know how they turn out! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Larry,

"Great Minds Think Alike !" I was also thinking about doing some black beans in the next day or two....had a hankering, ever since reading this thread...

I DID do a packaged version (Virgo ?) that you can get in the store...it held me over 'till now ! Please post how your experience turns out !

For Kevin...a couple of other questions/comments :

1. You mention cooking the beans, etc in a pressure cooker. I rummaged around in my basement today, and found my old Presto 4 qt pressure cooker. Checking on the web, I see this is listed as an "obsolete" model....no surprise there !!! I haven't used it in YEARS ! I vaguely recall warnings about NOT cooking dried beans in it, due to foaming or something. If one can do the beans in the pressure cooker (15 lb, according to the info I DID find !), how much water and how much time for them ? Worst case, I'll do the overnight soak thing....but I was looking for instant gratification !

2. The "Black Bean Soup" at the Cuban place I mentioned is just that...a soup ! It's pureed into a bowl of black "broth" (for lack of a better term, on my part) and served with a swirl of sour cream on the surface...looks "pretty", but no beans are left intact, and no rice underneath it...that's why we don't like it

3. Would you recommend this as a main course, or a side dish ? I'm also wanting to try your Mojo on some pork, but I don't want to overdue it....

4. Plantains ?

This is probably the most "alien" taste we've had in Cuban cooking ! Bananas as a side dish, or dessert ?

Any recipe suggestions for plantains ???

Your comments about walking down and getting a "cafe cubano" every day you're home reminds me of my brother....he and his wife lived in Italy, near Naples...he worked for the Navy, but they wanted to experience the "local" environment, so they refused to live on base, and instead, rented a place in a local small town. Every morning, they would walk to the corner and get an expresso and pastry from the local shop. When we visited, and joined them, it was heaven <g> ! By the time they left, they spoke pretty good Italian

Thanks for any suggestions/comments on the above !!!

Dean...

 

[Rita Y]

Dean and Larry, check your emails.

For a 4-quart cooker, I wouldn't use more than 2 cups (8 oz) dried beans. You do not have to soak them...I never do.

Some tips: Always add 1 tablespoon oil to 1 pound dried beans to discourage foaming. Never fill your pressure cooker more than 2/3 full.

If you are looking for a good pressure cooker book, I highly recommend Lorna Sass's "Pressure Perfect." She has a good palate and her recipes are much more interesting than the run-of-the-mill pressure cooker recipes that are out there. The text, especially in the beginning chapters, is very informative. She won the James Beard Award for that book.

 

[D Larsen]

Rita,

Thanks very much for the info on cooking beans, etc in a pressure cooker !!! Now all I have to do is clean mine up, fire it up, and see if the gasket, etc still hold pressure

Dean...

 

[Anthony W.]

Here is the one I use ..

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/MEXICAN-BLACK-BEANS-84

Anthony

 

[D Larsen]

Okay...so thanks to help from Rita, I got my old pressure cooker ready to go.

Note to Larry : Check your local hardware stores, or on-line, for the part...Based on Rita's advice, I found the parts I needed (gasket and air vent) for my old Presto cooker at my local hardware store

So here is my latest question...bought a 1 lb package of Goya dried black beans today. Just out of curiosity, I read their package recipe for "Classic Black Beans and Rice" It calls for 1 "packet Sazon Goya without Annatto". What the heck is THAT ????

Dean...

 

[D Larsen]

FWIW, here is the recipe from Jane Nickerson's Florida Cookbook that I mentioned in a post, above :

Cuban Black Bean Soup

Serve with raw minced onion, olive oil, and vinegar to taste

1 lb dried black beans
½ cp diced salt pork (about 1/4 lb)
1 cp chopped onion
½ cp chopped green pepper
½ tsp minced garlic
2 bay leaves
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cp wine vinegar
boiled rice
minced raw onion

Wash the beans. Cover with water in a large pan or flameproof casserole with a tight lid. Soak overnight. In the morning, do not discard the liquid, but add more water, if necessary, to a depth of ½ inch above the beans.

Cook the salt pork over low heat in a 10 inch frying pan until lightly brown. Add the browned pork to the beans. Place onion, green pepper, and garlic in the remaining fat, adjust heat to moderately high, and cook, stirring often, until the onion turns pale gold. Add the vegetables and fat to the beans. Add bay leaves, salt, pepper, and 1 T of the vinegar.

Cover tightly. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to very low and slowly simmer until the beans are tender. The time depends on the age of the beans; the older the beans the drier they are and the longer the cooking time. It may extend from 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours.

When the beans are tender and the liquid has thickened slightly, add the remaining vinegar.

To serve, spoon ½ cp boiled rice into a heated soup plate. Ladle 1 cp beans with juice over rice. Garnish with 2 T of minced onion (use sweet Spanish or Italian onion, if available). Offer cruets of olive oil and additional wine vinegar.

Note : For 6 servings, boil 1 cp rice when the beans near the end of their cooking time and mince enough onion to make 3/4 cp.

The amount of beans called for in this recipe gives 12 or more servings. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers.


Dean...

 

[Rita Y]

Dean, Sazon Goya is a seasoning packet put out by who else but...Goya.

http://snipurl.com/sazongoya [www_goya_com]

The recipe from the Florida Cookbook is pretty much a classic recipe.

Vinegar: I wouldn't add any vinegar to the beans before they are cooked. Beans don't cook tender in an acidic liquid. A can of tomatoes plus water will be OK, but not much more.

Add 1 tablespoon of the vinegar after the beans are tender and simmer for a minute or two. Then taste and add another tablespoon and repeat. I'd creep up on the vinegar addition until you see how much you like the flavor.

The beans will firm up a little upon standing or reheating. They will also thicken.

If you're doing the beans in the pressure cooker, add about 1/2 teaspoon table salt to 1 pound of dried beans before cooking. It will help firm up the skins just enough so that they won't come off the beans when you release the pressure. More than that and you run the risk of firming up the skins too much and you can cook the beans for a week and they won't get tender.

 

[K Kruger]

Dean--

Vinegar at the end, for flavoring, as Rita suggests.

Black beans are a common side dish, along with white rice, for lunches and dinners. But a big bowl of them with rice and a salad makes a nice lunch.

Unripe plantains are most often fried till crisp and then salted. Sliced thinly, they are much like potaot chips. Ripe plantains are usually peeled, halved or quarted lengthwise, then halved or thirded. They get sautéed in oil or oil with a litle butter till just cooked though and caramelized. (Because they are ripe they have plenty of natural sugars and caramelize easily.) They are a very common side. Fried ripe plantains are called maduros. THey make an especially good side for mojo chicken or mojo pork because they are sweet, adding balance to the sourness of the mojo.

 

[D Larsen]

Rita and Kevin,

I found the Goya "Sazon Sin Achiote (Without Annatto)" at our local supermarket that has a pretty large Hispanic foods section. The ingredient list, just FYI :

MSG, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, spices, spice extracts, natural color (whatever that is !), tri-calcium phosphate (anti-caking agent)

Also picked up a nice-looking small ( < 2 #) boneless pork loin roast with a nice fat cap. My plan is to marinate overnight in Goya mojo (sorry, Kevin....still have an unopened bottle to get rid of, then I'll try your "fresh"

) and cook it on the WSM. Any recommendations on smoke wood for mojo pork ? Will do the black beans and rice as a side...

Thanks to you both for the vinegar advice...will add to taste at the end !

Thanks, Kevin, for the ideas on plantains...my Cuban friends always served them sliced and fried, as you describe, as does the Cuban restaurant in Baltimore, but I guess it's an acquired taste...I never liked them...too sweet ! I wanted to pour gravy over them

Dean...

 

[K Kruger]

I like a lighter fruitwood with mojo and not a whole lot of it.