By Melinda Lopez

Black beans are so good for you! They are delicious, create a healthy gut biome, serve as an amazing source of protein, and give instant good karma because they are vegan! Your friends and family will admire and love you for feeding them this wonderful meal. 

Traditional Cuban food is not spicy—but feel free to add whatever hotness you like. This recipe will be mild, creamy, and delicious.

What you need to start

1 pound dried black beans, black turtle beans, frijoles negros
A yellow ceramic bowl (any other color or material is also acceptable)
A good and loving heart (your own)
2 onions, divided
Olive oil
6–8 cloves of garlic (or even more)
Green pepper
Salt
Pepper
Cumin
Oregano
1–2 bay leaves
Parsley
Hot white rice (sorry, classic
Cuban black beans must be eaten with white rice—but if you are partial to brown rice, I won’t tell)
Red wine vinegar

TONIGHT

Get your black beans from your favorite grocer or bodega. Pour the beans onto a table. Enjoy the musical clink clink clink. With your yellow ceramic bowl in your lap, carefully check each bean before dropping it into the bowl (clink clink clink). Take out any small stones or weird little-shaped beans, and set them outside for animals to enjoy. 

Rinse the beans. Cover the beans with cold water (about an inch over the top) and let them sit overnight.

IN THE MORNING

Do you drain the bean water? There is no right answer, and lots of debate! Some people say, “Yes! The water is full of bean gas, and draining it will make your beans less gassy.” Other people say, “No! The water is full of nutrients! And makes the beans taste better. Don’t drain. You are a crazy malcriao!”

Put the beans and water in a nice-size pot on the stove at medium-high. Add one big slice of onion. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, on low for an hour.

MAKE THE SOFRITO

In another pot or frying pan, drizzle the olive oil in a pleasing rhythm, circling the bottom of the pot, one, two, three swirls (or 3 tablespoons). Set on medium heat.

Chop the rest of the first onion and all of the second onion. Chop it fine. 

Chop the garlic. You can never have too much garlic. Chop it fine.

Chop the green pepper (wash that pepper and remove the stem and seeds). Chop it fine.

When the olive oil is shimmering, add the onion. Cook until the onion softens, about 3 minutes. Add the green pepper. Cook until the pepper softens, another 3 minutes. Add the garlic. Cook another 3–4 minutes, stirring.

Wachalé! If it cooks too fast or sticks, turn the burner down or add more oil. Don’t let it burn! Don’t walk away! Don’t look at your phone! Burnt sofrito can’t be saved!

When the sofrito looks nice and caramelized, and smells divine, you can turn the burner off.

MASH THE BEANS

Check the black beans. Are they tender? If not, keep cooking. If they are tender (not mushy), take a healthy-sized ladle full of black beans—maybe 1 cup—and add it to another bowl. Take about half the sofrito and add it to the bowl. Mash them up. You can use a wooden spoon or a potato masher or a food processor or a blender or any other mechanical marvel. Smash everything together to make a soft mashy pasty blend. Add it back to the black bean pot, along with the rest of the sofrito.

Add two healthy pinches of salt, one pinch pepper, some shakes of cumin and oregano, and two bay leaves. Simmer on low heat, uncovered. If the beans are too thick, add more water. They should always be very saucy, never clumpy. Stir them occasionally.

They should smell and taste delicious in about 30 minutes. If they don’t, add more salt and cumin.

eat

When your beans are beautiful and cooked and magical, chop some parsley (chop it fine) and add it to the pot.

In Cuba there is a saying about someone who is very busy and prosperous: “Es como el perejil. Esta en todo.” (“They are like parsley. They’re in everything.”)

Get a lovely bowl or dish and a nice cloth napkin. Maybe a flower in a vase. Set yourself a beautiful table. Turn off your phone.

Add a scoop of white rice (or your preference) to your bowl. Ladle glorious, fulgent, and flavorful black beans all over your rice. Add one capful of red wine vinegar over your beans (this brings out the flavors!). You can also add a swirl of nice olive oil if you like.

Sit at your table with a loved one, or your favorite book of Neruda love poems (or a suitable alternative), and enjoy!

variations

You can do so many things with black beans!

Mexican-ish: add frozen corn when you add the spices. Garnish with cilantro and lime juice instead of parsley and vinegar. You can also add shredded cheese.

Soup: run everything through a food processor. Serve with sour cream or yogurt and some roasted pepitas. You can add leftover chicken for extra super-power.

Black bean bowl: brown rice, black beans, sliced avocado, cherry tomatoes, walnuts, arugula or other greens, and any leftover anything else. Drizzle with oil and vinegar.

give thanks

I hope you enjoyed my favorite frijoles recipes. Stay healthy! Have a beautiful summer! Be kind to animals! And I’ll see you at the theatre!

xoxo, Melinda