Come on sing along if you know the words. My grandfather used to sing the bean song to us when we would eat beans, and now I sing it to my older daughter who just hates it. The song and the beans. Which is fine with me, because then there are more for me, and my littlest GP who loves them as much as I do.
Yesterday for Cinco de Mayo I made grilled chicken tacos. No recipe just rubbed them down with a bit of spices, grilled them on my Foreman grill. With those tacos I made oven roasted corn from the farmers market, yum. I also made my favorite black beans, Frijoles De Lata.
I lived in Miami for a little over 4 years. I loved the food in Miami, so many different cultures to choose from. One of my favorites was the Cuban food. I worked downtown where little Cuban cafes were plentiful. Cafe con Leche, (cuban coffee with milk) and pastelitos with guava and cheese, were my usual breakfast. Afternoon snacks of ham croquetas were frequent occurrences as well. My favorite of all was dinnertime, mojo marinated grilled chicken breast, sweet caramelized plantains, with black beans and rice is a perfect meal. Mmmmmmmm....I could eat that every day........how I miss authentic Cuban food.
Lucky for me I met a Cuban friend on a message board and she shared a recipe for black beans. She called them "quick and easy black beans." I'm all for quick and easy. The first time I tried them it brought me back to the days when I lived in Miami. They tasted exactly the way a little cafe around the corner from where I worked made them. They are so flavorful and easy, I make them often. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Frijoles De Lata (quick and easy black beans)
1/2 cup pure Spanish olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 medium size green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 large , ripe tomato, chopped, or 1/2 cup chopped and drained canned whole tomatoes
Two 16-ounce cans black beans, with their liquid
1/2 cup Cuban beef stock, canned beef broth or water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Few dashes of Tabasco sauce, optional
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, optional
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Chopped onion, minced fresh parsley, or minced fresh coriander
for garnish (cilantro)
In a medium-size saucepan over low heat, heat the oil until it is fragrant, then cook the garlic, onion, and bell pepper, stirring, until tender, 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook another 10 minutes. Add the beans, stock, cumin, Tabasco, and vinegar, stir to blend, correct the seasonings, and simmer, covered, until heated through, 20 minutes.
Garnish and serve with beans hot over Arroz Blanco (white rice)
Recipe courtesy of Gail CL board
Enjoy!
