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A dozen years ago, my then-boyfriend (now my husband) told me he would propose if I learned to make frijoles negros (black beans). Only one woman was willing to teach me, show me the way, and share all her recipes; my Tía Lourdes.
I’ll never forget driving down to her house in Miami to spend a week with her so she could teach me to cook in the name of love. I had never truly been in love before, and I remember telling her all about Miguel and how I wanted to learn to cook for my boyfriend, who loved Cuban food. She gave me all the cooking advice and taught me the foundations of our culture’s food.
I returned from that trip with a small arsenal of recipes. When I made her frijoles negros for Miguel, he just looked at me, and I knew I had nailed them. I remember I nodded, stuck out my hand, wiggled my ring finger, and said, “size 7”.
I am sharing my most treasured written recipe with you in honor of my aunt and that memory.
iBuen provecho!
Tía Lourdes’ Cuban Frijoles Negros (Black Beans)
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried black beans
- 1 green bell pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp table or kosher salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ cup Spanish olive oil
- 1 Spanish onion
- 4-6 cloves garlic
- 5-7 ají cachucha (sweet chili pepper)
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ cup vino seco or dry white wine can be substituted with dry sherry
- 3 leaves culantro can be substituted with ¼ bunch of cilantro, chopped
Optional:
- ½-1 tsp granulated sugar
Instructions
Prepare the beans the day before
- Pour the beans into the pot. Comb through them with your hands, removing any debris or stones you may find.
- Rinse the beans thoroughly until the water runs clear. You have to fill, swish, discard the water and repeat 2-3 times.
- Fill the pot containing the beans halfway with water. Cover with the lid and allow to soak for 12-24 hours.
To make the beans:
- Discard the water from the soaking beans. Rinse them thoroughly and fill the pot halfway with water.
- Add ½ green pepper (with seeds and stem removed), 2 bay leaves, and 1 tsp of salt to the pot and set to boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, lower heat to medium-high and boil for 45 minutes or until the water almost disappears.
- Add 4 cups of hot water and return to a boil for 45 minutes or until the water almost disappears.
- Add 4 cups of hot water and return to a boil for 45 minutes or until the water almost disappears.
- Add 4 cups of hot water and return to a boil for 45 minutes or until the water almost disappears.
Meanwhile, the beans are boiling (halfway through step 6):
- Remove the seeds and stems from the remaining ½ green pepper on a cutting board. Leave the seeds in the ajícitos (sweet chili peppers). With the chef's knife, dice the peppers and onion.
- Using the flat side of the knife, smash the garlic cloves, splitting the skins and releasing the oil for easy peeling. Mince the garlic cloves. Add ¼-½ tsp of salt to the garlic, hold the blunt side of the knife with both hands, and with your knife at a slight angle, drag the sharp edge across the garlic (pulling towards you) to make garlic paste.
- In a sauté pan, add ½ cup Spanish olive oil over medium heat and heat the oil for about 2 minutes. Test the heat by adding 1 dice of the green pepper; if the oil sizzles, it's ready.Add the rest of the diced peppers, onion, garlic paste, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, and ½ tsp ground cumin. Stir frequently so that the garlic doesn't burn and cook until soft and the onions are translucent, approximately 6-8 minutes. This medley is known as sofrito.
- Taste the beans. Check if they are soft and have the desired mouthfeel. They should "melt." Otherwise, add 2 cups of hot water, boil for 30 more minutes and check again. Repeat if necessary.
- Once the beans are soft, add the sofrito from the sauté pan, ½ cup vino seco (dry cooking wine), and 3 culantro leaves. Taste for salt and adjust according to your personal taste.
- Optional: Add ½-1 tsp granulated sugar.
- Cook to thicken the beans. You will know when the beans are sufficiently thick when they should coat the mixing spoon.
Pro tips:
- For a thicker consistency, using the mixing spoon, mash some beans along the inside of the pot and stir to combine.
- For black bean soup, don't thicken.
- When boiling the beans in steps 2-6, leave the mixing spoon in the pot. This trick helps prevent the water from bubbling over.
Notes
- Sharpen your little chef(s) cognitive development by allowing them to sort through the beans.
- Point out any stones they may find and compare them to the beans.
- Allow them to get their hands on the beans for some sensory play.
- Instead of rinsing the beans in the pot, have your little chef(s) sort the beans from the bag into a colander, and they can rinse them under running water, sharpening their fine motor skills.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below, tag @domesticgourmet on Instagram, and hashtag #domesticgourmet.
Awesome!
Thank you!