Frijoles Negros- Authentic Cuban Black Beans

       With a Cuban mamacita, I was eating black beans as soon as I could gum them. This was, however, the first time I've made them from dry beans. After a trip to California where I saw my Tia Nora make them I realized there was no reason to be timid. If time permits, this is certainly the way to make beans. Unfortunately, as with most good cooking, things aren't really measured- a lot is "to taste," but I think that is part of what makes something delcious-ly personal. I've given approximations below.

Ingredients

1 lb dry black beans, rinsed in cold water and picked over
enough cold water to cover the beans 1/2-1"
1 bay leaf

Sofrito
2-3 Tbps. olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
2-3 tsp. ground cumin (to tate)
few dashes of oregano
2 Tbsp.white vinegar or cider vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste
1 spicy sausage (I use turkey sausage)
*specialty spices- my aunt uses a Goya seasoning, but since it is not available everywhere you can add a bit more of the spices listed above, to taste.

Directions

1. Rinse beans in cold water, picking out anything odd. Place beans in a large pot and soak overnight in cold water- covering the beans by about 1 inch. Remove any beans that float to the top.
2. The next day, make sure that there is still water covering the beans, add water until it they are still covered by at least 1 inch. Add bay leaf, bring to a boil over a high heat, reduce heat to low and cook uncovered, until the beans are tender and have almost cracked open. Check the beans periodically and add more water as needed.
3. To make the sofrito, in a separate skillet heat the olive oil over low heat. Add garlic, onion, and bell peppers, cooking and stirring until the onion is transparent approx. 8-10 minutes. Add cumin, vinegar, oregano, vinegar, whole sausage and other optional specialty seasonings. Mix well. When the sofrito is ready, I remove the sausage due to personal taste- if not, break it up with a wooden spoon. Add the sofrito to the beans, mix well and continue to cook over low heat until the beans crack open. Season to taste and serve. {Since these beans are dried you will need to add more salt than you would with canned beans.} Be sure to remove the bay leaf!

To make it more soupy, add more water while cooking, to make it thicker, use less water-both ways are fantastic.

I doubled this recipe and froze portions. To reconstitute, I found it best to add a little chicken broth and warm on the stove.