Simmer black beans with sautéed garlic, onion, and bell pepper for a hearty Cuban side dish that's both quick and easy to prepare. For more dishes like this, see our complete collection of Cuban recipes.
This recipe as is will not produce the authentic flavor of Cuban black beans, which is what I grew up with. Reading the recipe, I knew right away there was way too much water. I halved the water requirement and still came out with a really watery version of Cuban black beans. This recipe can be improved. First, the secret to making your black beans tender is putting them in a crock pot with the bay leaf and heating them on low with water so that the water reaches 1-2 inches above the beans. Cook for 4-5 hours. The beans had a great consistency before I messed it up by adding the extra quart of water. Next time I will take the tender beans from the crock pot, add to the onion and pepper mixture and add just a small amount of water, 1-3 cups depending on how much water transfers from the crock pot. Besides being too watery, I think the flavor is good. I used white wine vinegar instead of plain white vinegar and think I will use a dry wine insead next time. It's a great start. I served these with ham and cheese croquettes.
What a disaster! I followed the recipe and took the advice to add cumin and oregano. After the time listed the beans were still too hard and the whole thing was very watery tasting. It was not ready or fit to have for the meal I planned last night. I gave up and am trying on a new day to cook it in the crockpot to get the beans cooked and to try and salvage with more seasonings.
