Black Beans

We had a great cook-out on Memorial Day weekend. Larry cooked my portobello mushroom to perfection, the potato salad was delicious, and the black beans were out of this world.

It was Larry who introduced me to the idea of beans with hamburgers. When we first moved to Pasadena I headed to the library to find a good recipe for this bizarre use of beans. The one I've used ever since is from the Williams Sonoma Vegetarian cookbook.

The beans cook in an afternoon, and taste even better the next day. They store in the fridge for a week, and they freeze well, so I can make sure to always have some on hand. They are great in burritos, or with rice and vegetables. Or you can serve them as soup - add extra stock, purée some to get the texture you like, and serve with hot sauce on the side.

Best of all, these black beans are delicious.

The key to the good flavor is the sofrito added to the beans after they are cooked. So while cooking the dried beans with pepper and onions enhances their flavor, you could make this recipe with canned black beans and it would still be great. Drain 4 14-oz cans of black beans and rinse them thoroughly. Put them in a saucepan with 2 cups of water or stock. Bring to a boil and then continue the recipe with the frying of the cilantro and garlic.

I used one of my homegrown poblano peppers in place of the green pepper. The white wine is a little better than Two Buck Chuck, but nothing too expensive or oaky. A sauvignon blanc or a fruity gewurtztraminer would be good. All the alcohol burns off but the flavor is left. If you prefer not to use alcohol, use an equal amount of vegetable stock.

Black Beans
2 cups dried black beans, picked over and rinsed
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, seeded, deribbed, and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1/4 cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic, peeled but not chopped
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsps dried oregano
salt
pepper
1/2 cup white wine

Soak beans for 3 hours in water to cover by at least 3 inches. They'll expand a lot and you don't want the top ones to get dry.

Drain the beans and place in a saucepan with the onion, bell pepper, and water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. Add hot water from the kettle as needed so the beans are always covered by water. Remove from the heat. Do not pour off the liquid.

Warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frypan over medium heat. Add the garlic, cilantro, brown sugar, cumin, oregano, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and ground pepper to taste. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is golden, about 10 minutes.

Add the white wine. Simmer over high heat until the wine is reduced by one-fourth, about 5 minutes. Add to the beans and simmer, uncovered, about 15 minutes until the beans are hot and most of the liquid is evaporated.

Serves 6