Frijoles Negros

black beans simmered slowly with a sofrito of onion, pepper, and garlic, cumin, oregano, and bay leaves until thick, dark, and richly savoury, the soul of the Cuban table beside a mound of white rice

Origin: Cuba

From the journey of Bay Leaf.

Frijoles negros, black beans, are the heart of Cuban home cooking and one of the dishes in which the bay leaf, carried to the Caribbean by the Spanish, does its quiet, essential work. Dried black beans are simmered long and gently until creamy, and their depth comes from the sofrito, the fragrant Hispanic-Caribbean base of onion, green pepper, and garlic softened in olive oil, into which go ground cumin, dried oregano, and a bay leaf or two. The bay steeps through the whole long cook, lending the rounded, savoury background note that, with the cumin and oregano, gives the pot its unmistakable character. Cooked down until thick and almost black, sometimes with a splash of vinegar or a little sugar to round them, the beans are ladled over or beside a mound of fluffy white rice, the pairing the Cubans call, with a wink at the island's history, moros y cristianos, 'Moors and Christians'. Frugal, nourishing, and deeply comforting, frijoles negros are eaten at almost every table, and the bay leaf is one of the small, indispensable things that make them taste of home.

Ingredients

The Beans

400 g dried black beans, soaked overnight
2 bay leaves

The Sofrito

4 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced

The Seasoning

1.5 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

Drain the soaked beans and put them in a large pot with the bay leaves and fresh water to cover by 5cm. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently, partly covered, for about 1 to 1.5 hours, until tender, topping up with water as needed.
Meanwhile, make the sofrito: gently fry the onion, green pepper, and garlic in the olive oil over a medium-low heat until very soft and fragrant, about 12 minutes. Stir in the cumin and oregano and cook a minute more.
Scoop a ladleful of the cooked beans into the sofrito, mash them, and stir this paste back into the bean pot to thicken it.
Season with salt and pepper, the vinegar, and the sugar, and simmer, uncovered, for another 20 to 30 minutes, until thick and dark.
Fish out the bay leaves and serve hot, ladled over or beside white rice.

Notes

For a vegan dish use only olive oil; some cooks add a ham hock or chorizo to the pot. A traditional Cuban touch is to finish with a little extra olive oil and a splash of dry sherry or vinegar. The same beans, cooked drier, fill tacos and burritos; cooked soupier, they become a potaje. Use only true bay (Laurus nobilis).

The Gastrographer

Name: Frijoles Negros
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 20 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Cuba
Ingredients: 400 g dried black beans, soaked overnight; 2 bay leaves; 4 tbsp olive oil; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 1 green pepper, finely chopped; 6 cloves garlic, minced; 1.5 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 tbsp red wine vinegar; 1 tsp sugar; salt and black pepper, to taste

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control