What’s Cooking Wednesday: Spicy Caribbean Black Beans

There are more recipes over at Shan's place.

Perfect for serving with white rice, I found this traditional recipe in the book HOT & SPICY CARIBBEAN. This recipe isn’t that spicy. You can add more peppers to taste. Note: The salt is added at the end of cooking time; adding it sooner will make the beans tough.

The beans taste even better the next day.

1 pound black beans. Water to cover
10 cups water
2 green bell peppers, diced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons oregano
1 bay leaf
1 habanero chile, seeds and stem removed, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Wash the beans and place them in a pot. Add cold water to cover, and bring the beans to a boil and boil them for 2 minutes, uncovered. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and allow the beans to sit for 1 hour. Then drain the beans, rinse them, add 10 cups of hot water, half of the diced green peppers, and bring the beans to a full boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer.

In a saucepan heat the 3 tablespoons olive oil and sauté the onion, garlic, and the remaining diced bell pepper. Add this sautéed mixture to the simmering beans, along with the black pepper, oregano, bay leaf, habanero pepper, and the sugar. Cover the pot and simmer for 45 minutes.




Stir the simmering bean and add the vinegar and the wine and simmer, covered, for an additional 45 minutes. At the end of the cooking time, stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil and the salt.

Serves 6 to 8