Frijoles Negros (Cuban Black Beans) Recipe (2024)

Melissa Clark (NYT) says:
If you’ve ever cooked beans for hours without them softening, it’s probably because you’re using old beans, or you’ve got hard (mineral-rich) water, or there’s an acidic ingredient in the pot, which can slow down cooking. Using distilled water solves the hard water problem. (And soaking your beans in salt water before cooking not only adds flavor, it can also help them cook more quickly.)

My grandfather gave me his hammer. But the wood handle broke so I replaced it with another. Then the hammer head wore out, and I replaced it with a new one. I still use my grandfather's hammer.Many of the comments on these recipes remind me of that old story. Cooks replace most of the ingredients with what they happen to have on hand and change the cooking directions, but they still critique the original recipe. That's the nature of cooks and cooking, I guess, but it amuses me.

I made this recipe with my instapot, shortcutting by sauteing and adding all ingredients to the pot cooked for 40 min ... amazing!

2nd time I made this recipe and this time was much better. Simple, low calorie, I think it was the Rancho Gordo Midnight black beans that made the difference. I soaked them for about an hour, then boiled them hard with the 1/2 onion, green pepper, garlic and bay leaves (3) for 10-15 minutes then simmered them for 30 minutes then added the sofrito and simmered it on very low heat for a full 1 1/2 hours--sublime.

Ana Sofia Palaez--perhaps you can share more recipes from the handful of faded index cards that your grandparents left behind? This dish was wonderful! I did find your blog and look forward to trying some of the traditional recipes. For anyone interested, it's hungrysofia.com.

Do I use the water I've soaked the beans in to cook it? Thanks!

Soffito is best added when beans are almost done rather than cooking the whole time. It gets dull.

I've cooked this ~12 times and learn a little more each time. Its fantastic, the flavors from the ingredients are purposeful. The first time I made it, I omitted the olives... because, I don't like them. The 2nd time, I realized I should try something fully before just arbitrarily making a change. I included them and they definitely improved the flavor of the dish. Takeaway - its a great dish. Try the full recipe as stated, at least once, before making changes... you may be surprised! ;)

Ah, this is the old world recipe of Cuban black beans I've been searching for. I haven't had them in over 20 years and will be making these tonight. Than you Ana Sofia Peláez for finding those faded recipe cards - besos !

Think I must have made a mistake. It says to cook them in 10 cups of water. However it doesn't say to discard the water so I basically boiled them in the water for an hour and got soup. I was hoping for something like baked beans not soup

Don’t mess with the recipe. Don’t use canned beans. This is so flavorful in it’t own right, just send the time and make it as directed.Excellent recipe.

These are delicious. They're even more delicious after a day or two, served w rice and a salad on top of chopped tomatoes, radishes, green onion and cilantro, and - taking a cue from the recipe - plentiful tapenade of green stuffed olives. Scrumptious, juicy, fresh, zingy and completely satisfying.

These beans are divine. The key is simple fresh ingredients cooked slowly, with no "showy" additions, letting the beans and simple sofrito come together into something amazing. Patience is a virtue. In beans and in life.Please don't ask for Instant Pot instructions. No doubt you'll get a reasonable facsimile in Instant Pot. But you won't get the richness and subtlety of flavor and texture in this very patient recipe.

Great taste! Another approach: make large quantity of Sofrito (w/o olives), freeze in ice cube tray. When in a hurry for this dish, soften some chopped onion and maybe red bell pepper in olive oil. Add drained canned black beans, a cube or two of frozen Sofrito, and some of black bean liquid to get to desired consistency. Top with sliced olives for those that like olives.

Bravo! At last the authentic recipe for Cuban black beans. No jalapeños, no tomato sauce, no ham hocks and no bacon. Thank you!

This was very good, made with Rancho Gordo Midnight Black Beans. A few years ago I read that adding a piece of kombu while soaking and cooking dried beans helps soften them, so I always do. Soaked these 3 -4 hours, boiled hard 10 min, followed rest of directions exactly except omitted sugar at the end. Great texture, but missing some ooomph. Next time I’ll add jalapenos.

Made with one can of beans and it was quick and good. Dont omit the green pepper cuz it was nice. I didnt use the olives but they would be nice too.

So delicious. I just made this for the first time in a few years for my vegetarian young relatives who are coming for Thanksgiving, and my husband and I used part of it for rice and beans for supper tonight. When I first made this recipe, I questioned putting onion, pepper, and garlic in twice - not sautéed at first, and then in the sofrito. But it really works.

Does adding the vinegar in the middle of cooking prevent the beans from cooking through? I thought acid prevented beans from cooking all the way...

Delicious! Really lovely over a quality white rice and served with an acidic salad (mustard slaw works well). I use some Tapatio picante sauce as a condiment and man soooooooooo good. Making it again today.

Used beans that already been pressure cooked but i still cooked the beans with the garlic, onion, bay leaf, onion and olive oil for about 20 minutes.Added a little water. Used half as many beans and kept all seasoning amounts except for salt. Came out delicious,

DELICIOUS. Made exactly according to recipe, and it was spot on for me. Loved it over rice. Threw leftovers in the blender, heated up and served with tortilla chips for the best black bean dip ever.I used Rancho Gordo Ayocote Negro beans, and they were perfect for this recipe.This is just a homey, comforting, simple dish that is worth the time investment!

I'm speechless. It's THAT fantastic.

10 cups of water is a LOT, and the dish tends to be soupy. Rancho Gordo midnight black beans all the way. Also - don’t add additional daily until the dish is done. Beans slowly absorb salt, so you need to wait until you’re finished to be sure it’s just right.

Perfection.

Be sure to save the soaking water, and perhaps only put in 8 cups of water. Otherwise it turns into a soup. Wait to add the Sofrito closer to the end of the beans being done cooking.

For those of you asking about whether to use the water the beans are soaked in or to discard the water and start over with fresh water, I found this primer on cooking beans to be very helpful.https://www.ranchogordo.com/blogs/recipes/cooking-basic-beans-in-the-rancho-gordo-manner

To make faster (no soaking):In step 1, simmer beans in 3 qts water with 1 TB baking soda 20 minutes; drain.In step 2, add 5 c water and bake in a dutch oven at 350 convection for 1 hr.In step 4, add ingredients as directed and bake an additional 30 min.

Like others before me, I too would like to know if soaking water should be discarded and replaced by what quality of water. Is there a recommendation?