The best beans I've ever made.

T

traca

Well-known member
I'm making black bean tamales and needed to prepare the filling. Came across this article and it was a game changer.

- I soaked a pound of black beans overnight in water and salt

- Simmered the beans with half an onion and 8 cloves of garlic low and slow until they were creamy.

- Salted the beans towards the end of cooking so the salt would permeate the entire bean.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/09/lazy-cook-black-beans.html

 
Step 2, for the tamales

For the tamales:
- Remove the onion and half the garlic
- Puree the beans with 2 tablespoons of lard
- Simmer to reduce liquid and create a paste
- I wanted a bit of heat, so added about a tablespoon of an Asian chili flake condiment we call "Grandma sauce." (The label is not in English, but there's a grandma on the logo.)

Chill for filling tamales.

 
This is my favorite recipe from the long ago Latin American Group Tour.

I love how creamy these are. I make sure I use the Spanish olive oil for this recipe. I will have to give your's a try Traca. Black beans sound good right now. I have a little bit of ham and will serve it with rice; yum!

* Exported from MasterCook *

Family Recipe - Vegetarian Black Beans

Recipe By :Diana/NYC
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Latin American

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

1 pound dried black beans or 2 cans of unseasoned black beans
1 " El Sofrito"
1/4 cup Spanish olive oil
1 large onion -- minced
6 garlic cloves -- crushed (6 to smileys/bigeyes.gif
1/2 green pepper -- minced
2 bay leaves
8 ripe roma tomatoes -- chopped
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 T red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 habanero pepper
1 T spanish olive oil

If doing from scratch, soak the black beans overnight, refrigerated, with twice as much
water (in volume), in a covered pot. To cook, add water again, so that you have twice as
much water again. Cook until tender. Do not add salt until the beans are done, this will
make them tough. While the beans are cooking, make the "sofrito." This sauce is added to many Cuban dishes: rice, fish, eggs, vegetables. To a hot pan, add 1/4 c of spanish olive oil when fragrant, add the garlic, onion, and green pepper. Sautee until onion is translucent.
Then add the rest of the ingredients to the sofrito. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt and Pepper to taste. Then add to the cooked beans. Again, salt and pepper to taste. Lastly, add habanero oil, you can make this ahead of time: de-seed a habanero chile, chop coarsely, fry up in olive oil, discard the chile shells, then add as much of the oil to the beans, to taste. Buen provecho.
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Simple is best! I do pinto beans this way--with just onion, water and salt.

(I may try garlic too) . People say, "these beans are so good what's in them?!" I say beans, water, salt and a little onion.

Dried beans are always worth the fuss if you have the time. I like the idea of the orange.

 
Agree that dried beans are worth the fuss. I've made them enough that I don't even have to think

when I make them. I pull out a bag, stop beans with water, and go to bed. I typically start cooking them with my morning coffee, and they're done by the time I am showered and ready to head out the door.

I was pleased as heck to read about cooking them with salt in the water and tough skins being an old wives tale. The way the salt permeates the bean and flavors them so deeply...it makes ALL the difference!

Thanks Joe. I always appreciate hearing how you do things. smileys/smile.gif

 
Some beans are better than others. I buy mine from Rancho Gordo and one called

Missouri Bills from the Farmer's Market. Only one grower has them. They cook up plump, solid and yummy. I always add salt, onion and water. Then add any aromatics later. My favorites are fresh garlic, garden thyme, sometimes, bay leaves from my tree. I love them with browned hamburger, chipotle chili,and tomatoes, too.
Rio Zape from Rancho Gordo are particularly yummy. Yellow Eye are great, as are White Marrow Beans. I have one called Mother Stoddard Christmas Lima bean which I have not tried but the guy at Rancho Gordo says they are a favorite of his. He has a really good Heirloom Bean Book out that has fun recipes and stories about the beans he grows.

I started keeping a dairy on all the beans I have tried and how they cooked up. A few varieties lose their skins and get on the mushy side...but that could have been my fault cooking too long.

I love the idea of the orange and will try that with my next batch.

 
I've not had much luck with black beans staying black. All the black washes out with the

soaking water, leaving behind brown, pinto-ish looking beans. Still tasty, but I'd like BLACK.

I found a new favorite canned smashed black bean by Bush called "Cocina Latina." They have it in four flavors and my current favorite is: Frijoles Negros Machacados (black beans seasoned with poblano chiles, tomatoes and a touch of bacon.) Have it with breakfast, lunch, etc.

 
I buy the Black Valentine beans from Rancho Gordo, but do not soak, because their beans are so fresh

They stay black and are beautiful.

 
I don't know Marilyn, I have seen dried black beans in the store, but have not tried them

I buy from Rancho Gordo since I learned that bean varieties have seasons and when they are available he puts them on the market, When they are gone that is it. He wrote that when you buy the beans fresh like that, they do not need soaking. They are a Napa, California business, and their customer service is wonderful. Maybe his website has info as to where they can be purchased besides Farmer's Markets and his own store.

I have use Purcell Mountain Farms too, when I wanted something Rancho Gordo was out of.

http://rancho-gordo.myshopify.com/

 
Marilyn, here is a list of where Rancho Gordo products are available in FL

he says this list may change at any time as products become available.

I did not see Black Valentine Beans listed on his site today, but he had other black ones. He said if you soak them they will lose color, so to retain as much color as possible do not soak, but if you do, then cook the beans in the pot liquor.
FLORIDA
Bon! Gourmet
Fresh 24
Grassroots Natural Market
Red Mesa Mercado
Thousand Pound Egg

Also, I found the Black Valentine Beans at Purcell Mountain Farms. Notice he makes the comment that all black beans turn purple after cooking. I did not notice that with mine the last time I made them. They were actually shiny and black when cooked. Maybe something to do with the water? I don't really know.
http://www.purcellmountainfarms.com/Black%20Valentine%20Beans.htm

http://www.purcellmountainfarms.com/Black%20Valentine%20Beans.htm

 
Oh man, I'm looking for those Bush's black beans! maybe won't have them in these northern parts.

 
I wonder if pressure cooking them would retain the color---I'm thinking commercial canned beans must

be cooked that way and some brands are quite black.

 
I never drain the soaking water. I don't think it's necessary if you cook the beans well enough

and you're throwing away flavor as well as color.

If anyone objects I remind them we are in a severe drought!

 
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