Creamy Black Beans

Properly-made black beans are a thing of beauty.  They should be tender, well-seasoned, and surrounded by a thick, starchy sauce.

As with all bean cookery, acids cannot be added to the beans until they are completely tender. Doing so prematurely will result in a complete halt of the the cooking process, and the beans will never soften. Similarly, salting beans prematurely will result in tough skins.

These are even better if made the day before, but I rarely have the foresight to do so.  

1½ c dried black beans

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

½ red bell pepper, diced

1 bay leaf

1 t cumin

1 t oregano

Stems from one bunch of cilantro (optional), rinsed & tied together with string

¾ t salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Juice of one lime

Chopped cilantro to serve

Soak the black beans in plenty of water for 8 – 12 hours.  Drain, return to pan and top with three cups of fresh water.

Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper, bay leaf, cumin, oregano and cilantro stems, if using.  Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook until tender (taste for doneness), 1 to 1-1/2 hours.  Remove cilantro stems & bay leaf.

At this stage, your beans should still have quite a bit of broth surrounding them.  Remove the lid and add salt, pepper and lime juice.  Stir through.  Increase the heat to medium-low, and simmer the beans uncovered, stirring often, until broth reduces and becomes gravy-like, 20 to 30 minutes.    

Serve with rice, and garnish with cilantro.  Coleslaw makes an excellent accompaniment.