Low Fat Cuban Black Beans Recipes

Steps:

• Cut 1 green pepper into 1-inch squares. Smash and peel 4 of the garlic cloves. Put the green pepper and garlic into a large pot with the 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 garlic. Heat the olive oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the 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 the beans are cooked, discard the bay leaf. Remove and set aside the ham hock and let it cool. Transfer 1 cup of beans to small bowl, mash them into a paste with the back of a fork and return to the pot. Add the sofrito, then the sugar. Pull the meat from the ham hock, leaving behind any white sinew or gristle. Chop the ham into ½-inch pieces and return it to the bean pot.
• Stir the beans well and bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so, skimming any foam from the top. Taste for salt and serve with white rice.

Steps:

• Soak the beans with the baking soda in 10 cups of water for about 3 hours. Rinse and drain.
• Add the beans to a Dutch oven and add 10 cups fresh water, along with the olive oil, cumin, oregano, sugar, vinegar, cilantro stems, bay leaves and onion. Simmer until the beans are soft, about 2 hours. Add 2 teaspoons of salt (or more to taste) and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients into a medium saucepan.
• Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until beans are tender and begin to split.
• Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Heat the oil or lard in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the bellpeppers, onions, scallions, bacon, garlic, cilantro, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf. Cook for 5 minures or until the vegetables are soft but not brown.
• Stir in the beans and wine. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the sugar and 1 1/2 cups of the stock or broth. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf.
• Puree one-quarter of the bean mixture in a blender. Stir the puree into the simmering beans.
• Simmer for 2 minutes more, or until thick but still soupy. If the bean mixture is too thick add, more stock or broth. Season w/ salt and pepper.