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Frijoles negros cubanos
Cuban black bean stew with sofrito, cumin and a splash of vinegar (caraotas negras in Venezuela)
A pot of frijoles negros simmers on the back of the stove in Cuban homes from Havana to Miami's Little Havana, ladled over white rice for lunch most days of the week. The beans cook until creamy, then a sofrito of onion, green pepper and plenty of garlic goes in with cumin, oregano, a pinch of sugar and a dash of vinegar, which gives the stew its gentle sweet-sour finish. Venezuelans make a very close cousin, caraotas negras, for pabellón, so this page covers both. Chef's tip: mash a ladle of beans against the side of the pot near the end; it thickens the broth naturally without any flour.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the beans
For the sofrito
To serve
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put 16 oz dried black beans, 8 ¼ cups water, 2 bay leaves and the half ½ green bell pepper in a large pot. Boil hard over a high heat for 10 minutes, skimming off the foam, then lower to a gentle simmer.
10 minStep 2: Simmer, part-covered, until the beans are completely soft and crush easily between two fingers, 50–60 minutes. Add hot water if the level drops below the beans. Discard the bay leaves and pepper half.
55 minStep 3: Meanwhile heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry 1 onion and 1 green bell pepper until soft, sweet and lightly golden, about 8 minutes.
8 minStep 4: Add 6 cloves garlic, 1 ½ tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp dried oregano and fry for 1 minute more, until fragrant.
1 minStep 5: Scrape the sofrito into the beans with 1 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar and 2 tsp salt. Mash a ladleful of beans against the side of the pot and stir them back in.
2 minStep 6: Simmer uncovered over a low heat, stirring now and then, until the broth is thick and glossy and coats the back of a spoon, 15–20 minutes. A common mistake is serving them watery straight away; the last simmer is where they come together.
18 minStep 7: Taste and adjust the salt or vinegar. Serve over cooked white rice with ½ red onion scattered on top. They taste even better the next day and keep for 4 days in the fridge or 3 months frozen.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 13 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does frijoles negros cubanos take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of dried black beans?
- Kidney or pinto beans, same amount.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
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