Cuban Black Beans

Here's a recipe for Cuban Black beans from NYTimes August 23 1973
Black Beans with Rice Cuban Style (Moros y Cristianos)

1 lb black beans soaked over night.
Simmer beans slowly, till done
Sofrito:
2 large Bermuda onions chopped fine
5 cloves garlic chopped fine
2 peppers (red or yellow sweet) chopped fine
1/3 cup olive oil heated in pot
Cook veggies
for 20-25 min
2 tsp dry oregano
1 bay leaf
1 TB tomato paste
ground pepper
1⁄4 tsp cayenne (or
2 tsp Salt
ADD to beans
2 tsp vinegar

I adapted this recipe to instant pot yesterday with magical results. Cook step 1 in instant pot on manual high pressure for 22 minutes. After 10 minute natural release, manually release pressure, then remove beans and ham hock to different bowls and clean pot. Let ham cool and add to beans per recipe. Once complete, use instant pot sauté function to cook step 2 (sofrito), then add beans and ham back to instant pot, cook manual high pressure for 10 minutes, manual release and enjoy!

Mimie, I often make this without meat. I use pimintón (Spanish smoked paprika) to provide the smokiness that you'd otherwise get from the ham hock and bacon, and I think the results are very good. Pimintón is also great in vegetarian chilis, black-eyed peas, etc.

Authentic Cuban black beans, either as a soup, on top of white rice, or a congri (aka, Moros y Christianos), never, ever have Jalapeños. Cuban cooking is flavorful but never spicy. That seems to be a problem with most Cuban recipes on-line, always throwing one or two ingredients never used in Cuban cooking.

So, in other words, you made up your own recipe. You should read my review of Titanic. I didn't see the movie. I shot my own version in my pool with ship models and Barbie dolls.

I am Cuban and have been eating black beans for over 60 years. Cuban black beans have NO meat and NO jalapeno - never, ever! Our food is not hot-spicy. Try black beans at a real Cuban restaurant with sweet fried plantains and white rice.

Far too much salt. Because the bacon and ham already contain salt, the additional salt can be overwhelming.

This is a Latin fusion dish. Cubans don't use jalapeños. We don't like hot spices, that's a Mexican flavor (probably Aztec/indigenous influence). Neither do we put cilantro on black beans, though maybe on a salad. Otherwise it's a pretty respectable Cuban recipe.

You can also just use a slab of salt pork belly, preferably soaked overmight to remove excess salt.

Thanks for your post. I was taught that true Cuban black beans never have ham. If you must have meat in them, always use beef. The recipe posted by Johanna above from NYT, 8/23/1973, is much closer to authentic Cuban, except for soaking the beans. Black beans should not be soaked like other beans! If you simply cannot cook beans without soaking them first, do not drain or rinse them! Cook in the soaking liquid. That's how you get that good, rich, flavorful black sauce they are famous for.

Having lived with a Cuban for many years, not to mention his mother, four sisters, and countless home cooks in his extended family, I suggest that Jalapeños have no place in black beans. Nor do bacon or ham hocks. At least in my experience, black beans are intentionally vegetarian (and unintentionally vegan). Red beans, however, traditionally have ham bones in the recipe. Frijoles vs. habichuelas.

Cumin and jalapeños are used in Mexican or Tex-Mex food, not Cuban food. Also, Cuban food is not spicy.

This is one of my favorite recipes, and I've made it many times. I like to substitute a smoked turkey leg for the ham hock; it's much meatier, which means that I can skip the bacon, and I think it's also a little healthier. If you want to make a completely vegetarian version, skip all the meat and add some pimintón or smoked paprika to supply the smoky flavor. It's pretty good with canned beans, too, if you're in a hurry.

More Latin inspired than pure Cuban w/ jalapeno and pork included? Great sofrito absent bacon. Outcome very good flavors. Beware salt lick if you follow recipe! Soaked beans (always do) and they still took 1:45 to cook. Skeptical beans can cook in 1 hr per recipe when not soaked. Prep notes: 1) soaked beans overnight, 2) salted beans after cooking, 3) reduced salt by 2/3 overall, 4) no bacon. Next time: I'll quarter green bell used in simmering stage so I can remove it - gets mushy.

Best black beans recipe ever, I did add fresh cilantro for that extra punch at the moment of serving!

Stan, steps one and two could be done totally independently (even on different days), and saved in the fridge for a day or three, until you are ready to assemble the final dish. You could probably also make a larger batch of the sofrito (step 2), and freeze portions appropriate to future batches of the final recipe. Be creative!