In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we were honored to have Alina Coipel share her family’s black bean recipe with us.
We arrived in the United States from Cuba in 1974. I was only six at the time. I quickly began to learn English and make new friends at school. Eventually I blended with all the other kids. However, when I returned home, we only spoke Spanish and ate Cuban food. Frijoles Negros (Cuban Black Beans) was one of the staple foods at my house growing up. We would have it for special occasions, especially on Christmas Eve. My mom would serve it over white rice along with pork or steak. It’s Cuban comfort food. It’s a true poor man’s Cuban classic meal when paired with white rice and fried eggs. It reminds me of home and familia. Since my mom doesn’t use recipes, I literally had to watch her make it to create the recipe. She added a bit of this and a bit of that and a ton of garlic.
For us, food has always been a way to connect and stay together as a family. As Psalm 145:4 (NIV) reminds us, “One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.” Through the years, I’ve tweaked mom’s recipe. Yet her influence over it will be passed on to my boys and grandchildren just like her strong faith in Christ. Mom’s faithfulness will continue to influence future generations. It’s leaving a legacy. The passing on of her faith (and Frijoles Negros) will continue to be remembered with each generation.
Mom has dementia now and lives in an assisted living facility. She has forgotten many of the meals she used to love. However, I see her eyes light up when I tell her I’m bringing her Frijoles Negros. She often tells me how much more she likes my version than hers. However, Mom’s Frijoles Negros will always be the best in my book.
Featured recipe
Frijoles Negros Cubanos
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. black beans, dried
- 10 cups water
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 2 large bell peppers (one green, one red), chopped
- 8 large cloves garlic
- 8 tsps. salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for sautéing
- ½ tsp. oregano
- ½ tsp. Cumin
- ¼ tsp. of ground bay leaf
- Hot sauce to taste
- 2 tsps. olive oil (to drizzle over beans in final step)
Instructions
- After inspecting beans for no debris or stones, cover dry beans with water and let stand covered overnight. Drain and discard water.
- Place the cleaned black beans in a large 6-quart saucepan. Add water and some olive oil; this will prevent the beans from foaming. Bring the beans to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until the beans are tender, about 1 hour.
- Do not add salt to the beans when they are cooking. Salt at this stage of the game will make your beans very tough.
- You may also cook the beans in a pressure cooker. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for exact times, but my pressure cooker takes about 20 to 25 minutes to cook the beans completely.
- Whichever method you use, do not drain the water from the cooked beans.
- To thicken the beans, take about 1 cup of beans and mash them to make a thick paste. Mix the mashed beans back into the pot. (I use a masher and do it right in the pot.)
- Chop onion and peppers. Mash the garlic. Sauté the onions and peppers in olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add mashed garlic and sauté another minute or so before adding to beans.
- Add to the cooked beans, salt, peppers, oregano, cumin, and ground bay leaf. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add hot sauce and additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over the beans. Immediately cover the pot, remove from heat, and let stand for 10 minutes.
Optional: serve prepared black beans over white rice.
Alina Coipel
Alina Coipel serves the Reformed Church in America as the executive assistant to the general secretary. She enjoys learning new things, sharing life, and spending time with her grandkids.
