Cuban black beans (frijoles negros in Spanish) are undeniably a staple of Cuban cuisine, traditionally served as a side dish with white rice and fried plantains. Although white rice and plantains are the classic complements, Cuban black beans can be served in a myriad of other fabulous, nontraditional ways. One of our favorite ways – inspired by our Southern California upbringing – is with avocado and a handful of really good tortilla chips and paired with a Spanish Tempranillo or Garnacha wine. 

Recipe Notes✏

One of the secrets to their deliciousness is the sofrito (Spanish for sauté or stir-fry) which gives them their rich consistency and flavor. It’s a technique used in many Spanish and Latin American cuisines, with each country having its own unique flair. Cuban-style sofrito is typically comprised of a mixture of olive oil, onion, and garlic (lots of it!) with green bell pepper and/or tomato, and spices, most importantly cumin.

Everything Tastes Better with Bacon!

In this Cuban Black Beans with Bacon recipe, we’ve jazzed up the sofrito with optional crème fraîche (for extra creaminess) and bacon, which adds a wonderful dimension of smoky, savory and salty flavors.

While most everything does seem to taste better with bacon, we appreciate that it’s somewhat of an indulgence *sigh* and may not be for everyone – at least not all of the time. So we’ve provided instructions in the Notes section of the recipe on how to easily make the sofrito without it. 

To Soak or Not to Soak?

This Cuban Black Beans with Bacon recipe does not call for soaking the beans prior to cooking. That’s right – we are breaking one of the cardinal rules of homemade black beans as passed down to us through the generations!

Until recently, however, we faithfully followed this cardinal rule, and with all due preparation soaked our beans overnight prior to cooking them, as we believed it would reduce the cooking time and somehow minimize any digestive issues (to put it politely) resulting from eating the beans. As it turns out, while it is true that soaking the beans reduces the cooking time, there is no evidence that we could find to support any digestive benefits.  

It was after reading a post by Serious Eats that we put the soaking debate to the test, and ultimately concluded, as did Serious Eats, that it is not necessary to soak the beans prior to cooking them, and in fact, not soaking them resulted in better textured and more flavorful beans. Of course, whether to soak or not to soak is ultimately a matter of preference, but for us, the additional cooking time (about an hour) is a small price to pay for better beans and the flexibility to make them at any time within a couple of hours of deciding.

Wine Pairings🍷

The saltiness and relatively low acidity of this Cuban Black Beans with Bacon dish make it particularly wine-friendly, and due to its robust flavors, we would pair it with a red wine, rather than a white. Specifically, we would pair it with a nice Spanish red wine made from Tempranillo, such as Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva featured in a prior post, or a Garnacha (Grenache), such as Las Rocas Garnacha Viñas Viejas, which we’ve enjoyed many times and is reasonably priced. The typically intense dark, ripe red and black fruit flavors, and medium to full body of these wines nicely complement the dark purple hue of the beans, their rich texture and smoky flavors.

Recipe 🍽

Cuban Black Beans with Bacon

 

2017-08-01 22:45:31

Serves 8

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Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

2 hr

Total Time

2 hr 30 min

Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

2 hr

Total Time

2 hr 30 min

For the Beans

1. • 1 pound dry black beans
2. • 7 cups water, plus more as needed
3. • 1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded and quartered
4. • 1 large garlic clove, peeled and left whole
5. • 1 bay leaf

For the Sofrito

1. • 4 strips of thick bacon, diced, and at room temperature (plus 2-3 more strips for garnish, optional)
2. • 1 medium Spanish (or yellow) onion, peeled and finely chopped
3. • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
4. • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)
5. • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (plus more to taste)
6. • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
7. • 1 teaspoon dry oregano
8. • ½ cup of crème fraîche, plus more for garnish (optional)
9. • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Additional Garnishes/Toppings for Serving (Optional)

1. • 2 avocados, cut in 2 inch pieces
2. • 2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
3. • tortilla chips

Instructions

1. Step 1: Rinsing and Cooking the Beans. Place the beans in a colander and rinse them under cold running water, removing any bean fragments or other impurities that float to the top. Transfer the beans to a large pot and cover them with water so that the water level is about 2 ½ inches above the beans (about 7 cups of water). Add the quartered green bell pepper, whole garlic and bay leaf to the pot and bring to a boil. Skim the foam if any has formed. Lower the heat to low, cover and cook the beans until they are tender and about to split (about 2 hours, but start checking at about 1 hour as cooking times vary depending on the beans). Turn off the heat and remove the quartered green bell pepper and garlic from the beans and set aside for the sofrito. If the beans start to dry out at any point during the cooking time, add additional water, about ½ cup at a time, to keep the beans submerged.

2. Step 2: Making the Sofrito. In a medium heavy bottomed skillet on low to medium-low heat, cook the bacon until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy (about 15-20 minutes). Remove any bacon added for garnish, drain on a paper towel and set aside until needed. If omitting bacon from the recipe, refer to the Notes below for alternative instructions.* Add the onion and sauté until translucent (about 3 minutes). Stir in the garlic, salt, pepper, cumin and oregano and cook for about 2 more minutes. Remove the sofrito from the heat and place about half of it in a blender or food processor, and add the crème fraîche (if using), quartered green bell pepper and garlic set aside from the beans, and 1½ cups of the cooked beans. Pulse until pureed. Add the puree and remaining sofrito to the pot of beans and stir until combined.

3. Step 3: Completing the Dish. Bring the beans to a boil again, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the liquid has the consistency of thick gravy. Stir frequently so the beans do not stick to the bottom of the pot. Add the vinegar and additional salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Notes

1. * If omitting the bacon, in a medium heavy bottomed skillet, warm 1/3 cup Spanish olive oil over medium heat and then proceed with the remainder of the recipe as written.

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Enjoy and thank you for visiting! 

!Salud!