Wednesday, October 29, 2008

What’s Cooking Wednesday: Spicy Caribbean Black Beans



There are more recipes over at Shan's place.

Perfect for serving with white rice, I found this traditional recipe in the book HOT & SPICY CARIBBEAN. This recipe isn’t that spicy. You can add more peppers to taste. Note: The salt is added at the end of cooking time; adding it sooner will make the beans tough.

The beans taste even better the next day.

1 pound black beans. Water to cover
10 cups water
2 green bell peppers, diced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons oregano
1 bay leaf
1 habanero chile, seeds and stem removed, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Wash the beans and place them in a pot. Add cold water to cover, and bring the beans to a boil and boil them for 2 minutes, uncovered. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and allow the beans to sit for 1 hour. Then drain the beans, rinse them, add 10 cups of hot water, half of the diced green peppers, and bring the beans to a full boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer.

In a saucepan heat the 3 tablespoons olive oil and sauté the onion, garlic, and the remaining diced bell pepper. Add this sautéed mixture to the simmering beans, along with the black pepper, oregano, bay leaf, habanero pepper, and the sugar. Cover the pot and simmer for 45 minutes.




Stir the simmering bean and add the vinegar and the wine and simmer, covered, for an additional 45 minutes. At the end of the cooking time, stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil and the salt.

Serves 6 to 8

10 comments:

Michelle | Bleeding Espresso said...

Look at you cooking up a storm. Literally...it's been raining here for HOURS! ;)

Looks *fabulous*!

Petulia said...

I am totally making this tonight

glamah16 said...

Yummm. A taste of the Caribbean in Roma. I love beans and I love spice.And its good for you.

Unknown said...

I love any variation of black beans. I must try those :)

Anonymous said...

I am definitely going to try this recipe, it sounds delicious. I will let you know how it works...

Lenoxave said...

I LOVE black beans because I'm a big fan of Cuban food. LOL! Looks delicious.

Diana Strinati Baur said...

mmmm. perfect. I have been craving some non-Italian flavors. This will do perfectly.

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

michelle - thanks. It's raining a lot here too. The storms are intense! Lots of wind.

petulia - let me know how it turns out.

glamah16 - beans and rice is a great comfort food dish.

city girl - I feel you.

beatriz - please do.

sdg1844 - I love Cuban food too.

diana - I was surprised to find all the ingredients at the market. The supermercato didn't have black beans so I thought I was out of luck. Then someone suggested I try the farmer's market and eccola.

Anonymous said...

Do you have a substitute for the habenero pepper? Sounds perfect for a cold day..mmm

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

NWY - I don't but I would assume there must be a similar pepper that is easer to find in your area. I have no idea what pepper I actually bought at my local farmers' market. It was hot/spicy, so I only used half.