Frijoles Negros Cubanos (Cuban Black Bean Stew)

• 500 g dried black beans, soaked and drained
• 2 litres water (some cooks away)
• 4 tbsp oil (about half the fat in the pan is poured off after frying the tocino)
• 50–100 g tocino (bacon or salt pork), finely chopped and fried crisp
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• ½ capsicum (ají cachucha or bell pepper), finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp vino seco (Cuban dry cooking wine)
• 2 tsp salt, or to taste

Method

The cook speaks Spanish; every step is written here in English. Tap a time to watch that step in the video. For subtitles, tap CC in the video, then Settings › Subtitles › Auto-translate › English.

1. Soak the black beans for at least 4 hours or overnight, then drain and throw away the soaking water. 0:22
2. Pressure-cook the beans in 2 litres of fresh water for about 35 minutes, adding 15–20 minutes more if they are not yet very soft. Open the pot and lightly mash some of the beans to thicken the stew. 0:40
3. For the sofrito, heat 4 tbsp oil in a frying pan and fry the chopped tocino until golden. Lift it out, and pour off about half the fat if it has released a lot. 1:24
4. Fry the onion, capsicum and garlic in the remaining fat for 1–2 minutes, then add the cumin and oregano for a minute. Return the tocino with a ladle of beans and let it thicken over medium heat. 1:50
5. Tip the sofrito into the beans and add the bay leaf, brown sugar, vino seco and salt. Mix, cover and cook 10 minutes more so the flavours come together. 2:29
6. For a thicker stew, simmer uncovered for a few minutes; it also thickens as it cools.

Tip. Serves 8 (our estimate: about 1½ cups each from 500 g dried beans). In Cuba it is served over white rice; with cauliflower rice or a salad it makes a lighter meal. Leave out the tocino for a vegetarian pot. Freezes well.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.