Cuban Style Black Beans and Rice

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After finishing undergrad, I took a job in Miami. Being the only gal born in the US of A in my office, I earned the nickname “Corn Girl”. I’ve been called worse. Yee Haw!

Miami is such a wonderful melting pot of different people, especially Caribbean and Latin American cultures. I never realized how under exposed I was when it came to food until I moved down there.

One of my favorite dishes that they serve nearly everywhere and with nearly everything down there is Black Beans and Rice or Frijoles Negroes. YUM!

Now, I don’t claim to be even 0.0001% Cuban, but I have tried to recreate the flavors of this wonderful dish. My version is simple and vegetarian minus the broth. Most Cubans prepare the beans with some sort of cured pork, which I also love. They also start with dry beans and let them cook, usually in a pressure cooker, almost all day.

For your average gringa, this version will hopefully still hit the spot. We enjoyed this dish along side my Mojo Marinated Chicken tonight…YUM! I’ll post on recipe for that soon, but for now…

Sabby’s Quick Black Beans and Rice

• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 1 can chicken (or vegetable) broth
• dash or two of red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

In a medium saucepan, sauté green pepper and onion. Once those are soft, add garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the the rest of the ingredients, EXCEPT the vinegar. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover pan and let cook about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add vinegar and cook an addition 5 minutes. Serve over rice.

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