Frijoles Negros - Cuban Black Beans

I've had this bag of dried black beans in my cupboard for a while now.   This weekend I decided to give those beans some life, Cuban style.  Very simple, flavorful, mild, and delicious. 


Prep Time:  20 Minutes
Soaking Time:  6-8 hours or overnight
Cooking Time:  1-1/2 to 2 hours
Servings:  12


Ingredients:


1 pound of dry black beans, picked over and rinsed
2 bay leaves
1 white onion - diced
4 cloves of garlic - mashed
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 splash balsamic vinegar

Mash the garlic with a mortar and pestle - add a pinch of salt while mashing.
The salt keeps the garlic from jumping out of the mortar.

Method:

Soak dried beans in water overnight

After soaking, the water should be a dark, inky black

• Soak the beans overnight in 8 cups of water in a large soup pot.
• Add bay leaves to the beans and bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1-1/4 hours, or until the beans are very tender.

The onions, garlic, and cumin create the seasoning or "sazon"

• After the beans have cooked for an hour, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium low heat; add the onions, garlic, cumin, and salt. Sweat the onion and then simmer gently covered for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the onions are tender.
• Add the cooked onion mixture (sazon), sugar, and vinegar to the beans; cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes.  
• While simmering, take a potato masher and crush some of the beans in the pot. This thickens the juice.
• Serve over cooked rice.

Recipe Links:

Here is the original video recipe which inspired the theme and seasoning for the dish.

Here is a link to the written piece which provided the structure of the dish.

Here's a link to the coolest building around.