Cuban Black Beans

Recipe from the New York Times. Adapted from “Tastes Like Cuba,” by Eduardo Machado and Michael Domitrovich.

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INGREDIENTS

1 Spanish onion, diced

1 jalapeño, stemmed and finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

1 tablespoon turbinado or other brown sugar

+ smoked paprika, chipotle powder, and red wine to taste

1 ½ green peppers, stemmed and seeded

10 garlic cloves 🧄

1 pound dried black beans, rinsed and picked over to remove any stones

1 smoked ham hock 🐖

2 bay leaves

5 teaspoons salt, or to taste

¼ cup olive oil

4 slices thick bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 🥓

DIRECTIONS

• Cut 1 green pepper into 1-inch squares.

• Smash and peel 4 garlic cloves. Put green pepper and garlic into large pot with beans, ham hock, bay leaves and 1 tablespoon salt.

• Add 2 quarts water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer until the beans are tender, an hour or more.

• Meanwhile, make a sofrito. Cut the remaining ½ green pepper into ¼-inch dice.

• Peel and finely chop the remaining 6 garlic cloves.

• Heat the olive oil in very large skillet over medium-high heat.

• Add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to brown (about 5 minutes).

• Add green pepper and onion and cook, stirring, until slightly softened (about 3 minutes).

• Add the garlic, jalapeño (leave out the seeds if you don’t want it too spicy), oregano, cumin, black pepper and 2 teaspoons salt and stir for another minute.

• Pour in the vinegar and scrape any browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. This is your sofrito.

• When beans are cooked, discard bay leaf. Remove and set aside ham hock and let cool.

• Transfer 1 cup of beans to small bowl, mash into a paste and return to pot.

• Add sofrito, then sugar.

• Pull meat from ham hock, leaving behind any white sinew or gristle. Chop into ½-inch pieces and return to bean pot.

• Stir beans well and bring to a boil over medium heat.

• Lower to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes, skimming any foam from the top

• Salt to taste