Pasta De Frijol Negro Black Bean Paste Recipes

Steps:

• Sort and rinse beans. Put beans in a dutch oven and cover with cool water to 3 or 4 inches over the beans. Soak overnight or bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes, remove from heat, cover and 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans and return to dutch oven with fresh water about 2 inches over the beans. Add one onion half with skin, bay leaf and baking soda to the dutch oven containing the beans and water. NO SALT YET! Using high heat bring beans to a boil then lower heat to medium high a and cook 20-25 minutes or until beans are al dente. Remove from the heat completely and season with salt, to taste. Do NOT add salt prior to this as beans will stay tough.
• Meanwhile, make seasoning paste: With scissors, cut stems from chilies and open them down one side to discard seeds and any large membrane. Put chilies in a bowl with very hot water to cover well and weigh down with something to keep them submerged. Soak for at least 15 minutes or until you are ready for them. Skip if using canned chipotles.
• In an oven proof skillet with NO oil or spray add one onion, quartered, and jalapeno. Broil about 5-7 minutes or so until blackened and charred. Remove from pan, remove seeds and stem from jalapeno when cool.
• While cooling toast cumin and coriander seeds In same skillet, wiped clean if needed, just until they begin to release their fragrance.
• Drain chilies and discard soaking water. Toss chilies, toasted seeds, charred onion and jalapeno, garlic, oregano, 1 tsp salt, cumin, coriander, peppercorns, cloves and half of the broth. Blend until smooth, adding a little more broth if needed to get the mixture moving.
• Heat oil in the same skillet until and add puréed mixture, Sounds weird but trust me! Cover with a lid to keep it from splashing and burning you and making a huge mess. Cook 5 -10 minutes or so, until fragrant and slightly thicker. Stir often to keep it from burning and be careful it does not splash on you.
• Drain beans again and remove bay leaf and onion. Add all the paste to the beans along with the beer, rest of broth, tomatoes with their juice, celery, carrot and the remaining onion half, roughly chopped.
• Allow to simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes or so or until the beans are completely done and veggies are tender. You can add a little water, broth or better yet, beer, if you wish.
• Stir in chopped cilantro, lime zest and juice. Taste now and season with more salt if desired. Enjoy!
• Note: You can make this a main dish by tossing in about 1/2 cup rendered chorizo or other sausage or cooked meat if desired or leave vegetarian. Either way this is great over brown rice or even white rice.
• Note: This freezes very well. I pour two cups into a ziploc bag, seal, label and lay flat. Once frozen you can stack them up on top of each other. Then thaw and reheat and serve over rice if desired.

Steps:

• Make the filling: In a large bowl, cover the beans with cold water by about 2 inches and soak overnight. The next day, drain the beans and transfer to a large pot. Add the onion, garlic, avocado leaves, salt and enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook, skimming any foam, until the beans are very tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Cool for 15 minutes, then set a large strainer over a large bowl and drain. Transfer the beans, onion, garlic and 1 cup cooking liquid to a blender or food processor. Blend, adding more liquid as needed to get the machine going and to form an almost smooth puree. The consistency should be soft and spreadable, but not soupy. Season to taste with salt and cool to room temperature. Discard the avocado leaves and any remaining cooking liquid.
• While the beans cool, prepare for tamales: Heat the oil in a small saucepan until just smoking, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely. If you don't have plastic rounds for a tortilla press, cut off the edges of a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag to form two 10-inch squares of plastic. If you don't have a press, get out a heavy flat-bottomed large skillet.
• Heat a banana leaf on a griddle or large flat pan over high heat, turning and pressing flat until pliable and shiny, 15 to 30 seconds. Transfer to a work surface. Repeat with the remaining leaves, stacking them to keep them all warm and soft.
• In a large bowl, tear the masa into smaller chunks then add the salt and gradually add the cooled oil while kneading in. Continue kneading with both hands by punching down the mixture, then squeezing it between your fingers before gathering it into a mass and pushing it back down. Knead until the oil isn't visible and the masa is very smooth and soft.
• Assemble the tamales: Roll a 1/3 cup masa into a ball and flatten between the plastic by hand into a 1-inch-thick disk. Press in a tortilla press or against the counter using a skillet to form a tortilla-thin round (scant 1/8-inch-thick). Peel off the top plastic, keeping the masa on the bottom piece. Spread the bean filling evenly over the masa's entire surface in a thin layer (about 3 tablespoons). Using the plastic, lift the left edge and fold an inch in towards the center, then peel back the plastic and flatten it against the counter. Repeat on the right. Spread filling over the folded edges (about 1 teaspoon per side). Using the plastic, lift up the bottom third and fold it over the center as if folding a letter. Cover with filling (about 1 teaspoon), then use the plastic to lift the top and fold it over to enclose. Center an avocado leaf on top. Place the tamal upside down on a soft banana leaf and place another avocado leaf on top. Trim the leaves to fit if needed. Wrap in the banana leaf, folding in one long side, then the bottom, then the other side and rolling to enclose the end. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
• Fit a steamer or colander into a large, deep pot and add enough water to almost reach its bottom. Stack the tamales flat in the steamer, leaving an empty space in the center. Cover with the reserved remaining banana leaves and then the lid. Bring the water to a boil and steam, replenishing with hot water as needed, until the masa is cooked through, about 1 1/2 hours. To test, unwrap a tamal and cut through the center to make sure there's no raw masa.
• Keep warm in the steamer off the heat until ready to serve. After unwrapping, the avocado leaves should be discarded before eating. The tamales can be cooled completely, then wrapped individually and frozen for up to 6 months. To serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then resteam in the banana leaves or unwrap and pan-fry in oil until hot and crisp.

Steps:

• Fry the onion and pepper in a little oil.
• Add the garlic and saute a little.
• Introduce a little of the bean liquid until all previous ingredients are soft.
• Add the beans with the remaining liquid.
• Add spices and simmer about 30 minutes.
• Add the vinegar just before serving.
• These are quite good when served over a bed of rice seasoned with just lime.

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, combine the beans, garlic, and onion quarters. Cover the beans with water and bring to a boil.
• Cover the pot, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook until the beans are tender. This can take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours, depending on how old the beans are. If the liquid is evaporating too fast and the beans start to show, bring another cup or two of water to a boil and add it to the beans. Once the beans are cooked, salt to taste, stir, and continue cooking for 10 minutes.
• Once the beans are tender to the bite, remove and discard the garlic cloves and transfer the beans to a blender. Add the chile de arból and avocado leaves and puree until smooth.
• Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped onion and cook until it starts to soften. Add the black bean puree and fry it for 15 minutes, stirring until the bean mixture has thickened.