Cuban Style Black Beans

Cuban style black beans using the stove top pressure cooker or an Instant Pot are soooooo easy to make. 

Thanks to my friend Nydia for asking me to write this down, and sharing her photos!

Ingredients:

• 1 LB bag of dry black beans (rinsed, do not soak overnight)
• Water 
• 1 Green bell pepper- cut into quarters and dice 3/4 of it.  Cut the other quarter into 3 chunks.
• 1 large onion (softball size)- cut into quarters and dice 3/4 of it.  Cut the other quarter into 3 chunks.
• 1 head of garlic
• 3-4 dry bay leaves
• 4-6 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 4 tbsp white granulated sugar 
• 6-8 tbsp olive oil
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp Cumin powder 
• 1/4 cup dry oregano

Instructions:

Open and pour dry beans into pot.  Inspect for any stones or debris.  Rinse with cold water 3-4 times to get rid of any dirt and sand.   Water may be a little dark (that's okay), but make sure there's no dirt floating around. After rinsing the beans pour enough water into the pot to reach the halfway mark.  If you double this recipe in the future do not ever have a pressure cooker  more than 3/4 full.  The contents will expand and it could explode.  You don't want that!

Throw in 1/4 of an onion cut into large chunks, 1/4 bell pepper  cut into chunks, Garlic powder,  cumin, bay leaves,  and 3 cloves of garlic crushed.  These items are your aromatics.  They can be discarded after you cook or left in the soup in their chunky  glory.  Stir.

Cover the pot with the pressure cooker lid.  If cooking on a stovetop pressure cooker set burner to high.   The pressure is much higher and the cook time is less.  Once the pot has pressurized  (made crazy sounds) cook for 20 minutes.

In an electric pressure cooker  (i.e. instant pot) press  manual  button and set timer for 25 minutes.  If you want to eat the beans sooner and don't mind a more liquid broth set time to 30 minutes for a softer bean. 

While beans are cooking place a sauté pan with olive oil on low heat.  As the oil warms up add the remaining onion, bell pepper,  and garlic finely diced. Then add dry oregano, 1 tsp of salt and black pepper to taste.   Cook on low heat until onions are soft and translucent.  This stuff actually tastes amazing on toast... so if you need a snack try it!

When your timer goes off:

• Stove top cooker: take pot off burner, place in sink, and run very cold water over the pot.  This will help the pot to release pressure more quickly  Once pressure is gone remove lid.  Wipe water off bottom and sides of pot with a towel and  place back on burner (medium heat) without lid. 

• Instant pot: do quick release and open pot when depressurized (can take up to 20 mins).  Remove lid carefully.   Press cancel button and then press sauté button to continue cooking beans. 

Look at the consistency of the beans. You can add more liquid if needed If you prefer beans that are more brothy.  If you like a thicker/viscous broth don't add more liquid, as the beans will thicken as you continue to cook uncovered.

At this point add 4 tbsp of red wine vinegar and sugar.   Add 1 tbsp salt.  Add the sautéed vegetable mixture.   Stir and taste.  Cuban beans should have a sharp acidic flavor in the background.   If you need to make the broth taste more sharp add more vinegar.  If it's  too acidic add a bit more of the sugar.   Increase salt and  black pepper as needed.  Once you have the flavor you like cook uncovered until you reach desired consistency.   I usually cook for an additional  hour stirring occasionally.  If the beans start to get too thick you can add some water... if you do this you may need to re-season to taste.

Once beans are at your desired consistency turn off burner/instant pot and cool down before storing.

Serves 8

Keeps in fridge 1 week 

Freezes very well for 6 months! 

**If planning to freeze double the recipe and freeze in quart size freezer bags! 

Irish Car Bomb Cake

Every year for his birthday my husband asks that I make him Irish car bomb cake.  This is the recipe we love because it's not a chocolate cake base, and uses a cake mix and lots of booze!  The link to the original recipe is here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/218743/boozy-irish-cake/.  Mostly I am posting this here so I don't lose the recipe.  It's that good!

Boozy Irish Cake
Recipe By:CinfulySwt

Ingredients:
1 (18.25 ounce) package French vanilla cake mix
10 1/2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup Irish whiskey, divided
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar

1 (15 ounce) can dark Irish stout beer (such as Guinness(R))
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur (such as Baileys(R))

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 2 9-inch cake pans.
Place the cake mix into a large mixing bowl. Pour the water into a 2-cup measure, and add enough Irish whiskey to total 1 1/3 cup of liquid (about 10 1/2 tablespoons). Reserve remaining whiskey. Beat the whiskey and water mixture, vegetable oil, and eggs with an electric mixer on low speed just until cake mix is moistened; increase speed to medium, and beat until the batter is smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour batter into the prepared cake pans.

Bake in the preheated oven until the cakes are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

While the cake is baking, pour remaining Irish whiskey (about 1 1/2 tablespoon) into a saucepan, and stir in 1/4 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved; boil until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
When cakes are done baking but still hot, poke holes all over the cakes (the end of a chopstick works well for this) and drizzle the whiskey syrup into the holes. Return the cakes to the oven, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Remove cakes from oven, allow to cool in pans for 15 minutes, then remove from pans to finish cooling on wire racks.

To make caramel sauce, mix the Irish stout beer with 1/2 cup of sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Simmer the mixture until thickened, about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, and allow to cool.
To make frosting, beat 1 cup of softened butter in a bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, then gradually beat in confectioners' sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time. Beat in salt, then add the Irish cream liqueur, beating until the frosting is light and fluffy.

To assemble the cake, place a layer onto a cake serving dish; pour the Irish stout caramel over the first layer, allowing the caramel to drip down the sides of the layer. Place the 2nd cake layer on top, and top with the buttercream, swirling the frosting into decorative waves. Do not frost sides of cake.

Tomasita’s Torticas de Morón

Tomasita’s Torticas de Morón

 

On December 25, 2004 I was invited to Abuela Tomasita’s kitchen where she taught me how to make her famous torticas de Morón.  I felt very privileged to have this opportunity as she closely guarded this particular recipe.  Abuela had me sit as I took notes in my green notebook, and showed me how she made the cookies directly on her kitchen table.  She didn’t use a recipe (she had it memorized), used a coffee mug to measure, and mixed the dough with her bare hands. 

These tasty sugar cookies were originally created in the city of Morón, in the province Ciego de Ávila in Central Cuba. Abuela came from a family of bakers, so it can be assumed that this was something that her family baked for the family business.  She would often make huge batches of these cookies and give them as gifts for Christmas.  I am sure that Abuela Tomasita would be happy to know that we are still enjoying her cookies during the Christmas season.

 

Picture of my Abuela Tomasita with my niece Danielle on November 5, 2005

Ingredients:

·       1 ½ Lb. (24 oz) of white granulated sugar

·       1 Lb. of Vegetable Shortening (such as Crisco)

·       3 egg yolks

·       1 pinch baking powder

·       2-3 coffee cups of flour

·       Sprinkles, sanding sugar, or white sugar (to decorate)

·       *1/2 teaspoon salt (Annette’s addition)

·       *1 tsp vanilla extract (Annette’s addition)

·       Line cookie sheets with 3 layers of brown paper bags and newspaper cut to fit

 

Directions:

Create a mound of sugar (reserve at least a cup to add as needed) with a hole in the middle of your work surface.  Put half the can of vegetable shortening in the center of the ring of sugar.  Add the three egg yolks, baking powder, vanilla, and salt.  Start mixing by hand, keep one hand clean so you can slowly add other ingredients.  Once the ingredients are mixed start slowly adding at least two cups of flour.  You want to achieve a soft almost playdough texture.  

 

You will now form the dough into small balls.  Take a tablespoon of dough and form the dough into a golf ball size ball.  Place the balls either on a cookie sheet or in a container.  Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or freeze up to a month.  

When you are ready to bake preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line pans with paper and newspaper, you will want at least three layers to absorb the oil from the cookies as they bake. 

The balls never get too solid, so when you are ready take them out of the cold and dip the top of each ball in sprinkles, and place on your lined cookie sheet.  Even though the dough is formed into small balls they will flatten out as they bake.  If you flatten them now they will melt in the oven and make a puddle.  Lower oven temperature to 300 and bake until the tops of the cookies look cracked and lightly browned 40-45 minutes.