Canned beans are a great shortcut, but when you have time to slowly simmer a pot of beans, it pays off with rich flavor. These slow cooked black beans are seasoned Venezuelan-style. Black beans are common side dish in Venezuela, especially as a component of the national meal, pabellon criollo.
Prep Time: 12 hours
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 15 hours
Yield: 6-8 cups cooked beans.
Ingredients:
- 16 ounce bag of dried black beans
- 2 cups chicken or beef stock (optional)
- 1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- Worcestershire sauce (optional)
- 2-4 slices bacon (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
- Rinse beans and soak overnight.
- Cover beans with fresh water, including chicken stock or beef stock if desired. Add chopped red pepper. Bring beans to a simmer, and cook over low heat until just tender.
- If using bacon, place it in a heavy skillet and cook until crispy. Remove bacon and reserve for another use. Add onion and garlic to bacon fat and cook over low heat until soft and translucent. (If not using bacon, cook onion in vegetable oil).
- Add cumin and brown sugar to onions and continue to cook until browned, soft and fragrant.
- Once beans are tender, remove two cups of the beans and process them in a blender with onion mixture. Add blended beans and onion back to the rest of the beans. Taste for salt and pepper and Worcestershire sauce (optional). Continue to cook beans until very tender, adding water if necessary or letting excess water boil away, until desired texture is reached.
