Frijoles Negros (Cuban Black Beans)

Prep time

8 hours 30 mins

Cook time

4 hours

Total time

12 hours 30 mins

Frijoles Negros (Cuban Black Beans) have always been a staple in my family. Nutritious and delicious! Make a pot for dinner on Sunday and eat them with a variety of meals during the week or freeze them for a future meal.

Author: Danny Gutierrez

Recipe type: Soups, Stews & Chilis

Cuisine: Cuban

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

14 oz package of Goya Black Beans, rinsed
4 cups Water
2 tbs Olive Oil
2 cups Chicken Broth
2 tbs White Wine Vinegar or Cider Vinegar
¼ cup Vino Seco
½ Roasted Red Pepper, sliced thin
½ cup Yellow Onion, coarsely chopped
¼ cup Green Pepper, coarsely chopped
4 – 6 cloves Garlic, minced
10 - 15 Pimento-stuffed Olives
½ tsp Cumin, ground
1 tsp Oregano, dried
1 tsp Basil, dried
1 tbs Cilantro, fresh & chopped
½ tsp Adobo Seasoning
2 Bay Leaves
2 tbs Tomato Paste
2 tbs Sugar
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Instructions

Soak the beans

Rinse and sort beans making sure there are no small stones in your batch.
In a large saucepan, soak beans overnight in 4 cups of water. DO NOT DRAIN.

Next day - Mise en place

Chop onion, green pepper and cilantro.
Slice red pepper.
Mince garlic.
Portion chicken broth, olive oil, tomato paste, vinegar, vino seco, cumin, oregano, basil, adobo seasoning, sugar, bay leaves.

Cook the beans

In a large pot, add olive oil and heat over medium-high.
Add onions and green peppers with some salt & pepper, stirring occasionally.
When veggies start to get soft, add cumin, oregano, basil, adobo seasoning, olives and garlic.
When you can smell the garlic, add vino seco and stir well. Reduce liquid by half.
Next add sugar, tomato paste, vinegar and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Next, add beans with original water, chicken broth, bay leaves and bring to a boil.
When boiling point has been reached, stir well, salt and pepper to taste and add red pepper.
Lower heat to low/medium-low, cover and simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.
When beans are soft, take off heat.
Serve over white rice or as a soup with tortilla chips.
Use chopped cilantro as a garnish.

Notes

This is one of those dishes that have a million different versions. Feel free to adapt the flavors and make you own version based on your tastes.

Cooking time can be cut considerably if you use a pressure cooker and cook accordingly.

Inspired by my Abuela Mima's Black Beans which I consider to be one of the best I ever tasted.