Black Beans

(See note at bottom of page)

Serves

3 - 4 people.

Hardware

• 4 - 5 qt. pot

Ingredients

2	cups	dried black beans (about 1 lb)
1	large	yellow onion, diced small
3	Tblsp	oil
4 - 6	cloves	garlic, minced
1 - 2	tsp	chili powder
1 - 2	tsp	ground cumin
1 - 2	tsp	Tabasco sauce
1/4	cup	lemon juice
2	cups	water
12	oz	beer
		Fresh ground black pepper
		Salt (optional)

Procedure

1. Place the beans in the pot and cover well with cold water; soak overnight (or for at least 5 hours).

2. Drain the beans and rinse well, leaving them in a colander; rinse the pot, too.

3. Heat the oil in the pot and saute the onions over a (medium-high heat) until they turn clear, about 4 - 5 minutes.

4. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

5. Add the spices and liquids and bring to a simmer.

6. Add the beans, bring to a simmer again, then cover and cook over a low heat until the beans are soft (but not mushy!) -- about  3 hours.

Notes

The original recipe called for white vinegar, but I think lemon juice works just as well. It also called for 1 tsp of sugar, but I don't think it's needed.

The original recipe also suggests 3 chopped scallions for a garnish.

Beans can also be quick-cooked instead of being soaked overnight. To do this, place the beans in cold water and bring to a boil; remove from the heat and let stand 1 hour; drain. One problem with preparing the beans this way is that the cooking time will be reduced, which means less liquid will evaporate and/or be absorbed. To adjust for this, use less water (maybe 1 cup instead of 2). However, if you're going to serve the beans as a meal (with just rice), the extra liquid may be a bonus.

If you can't or don't want to use beer, substitute stock, preferrably vegetable. Alternately, you can use all stock and no beer or water.

Strictly speaking, this dish isn't "Latin American" so much as the preparation is "Latin American style." Similar dishes are found in many countries throughout the world.

Goes well with Red Onion Relish.

Rating

Difficulty: Easy.

Time: 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 hours.

Precision: 2.

Source

Adapted from The Thrill of the Grill, by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby.

Note

I've never been 100% with this recipe, but I've never gotten around to figuring out a better one. Based on tonight's dinner (20 Sep 2010), I have what I think is a new, better recipe. I'm too lazy to make it pretty, but I don't want to forget it, so here it is in very condensed form:

1 lb beans, picked over and rinsed; cover + 1" with 12 oz beer + water; bring to a boil (covered), then simmer. Chop 1/2 onion small, saute in some olive oil. When soft and turning gold, add 8 - 12 cloves garlic (minced), 2T cumin, 2T oregano (Turkish or Mexican), 2t chili powder; stir then remove from heat; add to beans; add 1 bay leaf. Simmer until almost soft; if too soupy, remove cover for last 15 minutes of simmering. Taste half-way and add spices as needed; when almost done, add pepper and salt. Salt can be added after liquid is reduced.