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!
