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Cuban black beans recipes
I'm not sure how authentic my recipe is, but I think I make really good black beans.
My process is similar to making pinto beans: Fry up some garlic in oil, add the black beans, toss them in the oil, and add water to cover. In the pot, I throw in two bay leaves, a whole onion cut into chunks, and I think this is the key to black beans, even in cuban restaurants: You have to throw in some epazote, which is an herb also known as "Mexican tea." It's hard to describe the flavor, but it lends something really special to the beans.
When the beans have reached the desired doneness, I drain them, reserving the bean cooking liquid and picking out the onion chunks. While they drain, I add some manteca to a pan and let it melt and get very hot. Then, I throw in the beans and begin mashing them a bit while slowly adding some of the cooking liquid back into the refrying beans until they've reached the consistency I like. Some people like them really soupy, I don't. You have to keep in mind that the beans will continue to soak up the liquid, so you have to add more than you think you'll need or else your beans will dry out once they've cooled or when you're reheating them the next day. I probably end up using 2/3 of the bean cooking liquid.
That's it! That's how I make my black beans, I'd love to hear how others do it. I doubt my recipe is authentically Cuban. I'm Mexican and just sort of took the same approach to black beans as I do my refried pinto beans.
What's on Your Menu?
I actually have no idea how many people are coming to my house this year. I have a ton of work-related stuff to wrap up over the holiday, so I've chosen to make my life easier by purchasing both hor d'oeuvres and dessert- which is something I've never done before. I'm either getting smarter or getting lazier.
Hor d'oeuvres:
Potato balls from Portos and a cheese plate.
Main:
Huge, herb & lemon roasted turkey
Spinach gratin
Sweet potatoes with pecan streusal
Roasted Brussels sprouts
Mashed potatoes
Turkey gravy
Rye bread, italian sausage, and mushroom stuffing
And I might try Chuck Hughes' arugula, roasted cauliflower, and bacon salad
Dessert:
Apple pie, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin cheesecake- all from Porto's ... because I'm a lazy ass this year.
Hey SE Staffers! Question!
@rasellers0: I wrote the SE Meet & Eat Column for six or seven months and for me, it really was as simple as sending a query letter to the submissions address on the site. Someone got back to me almost immediately and after brainstorming, it was determined I'd make a good fit interviewing West Coast-based chefs.
Well, it was that simple and it wasn't. I'm 26-years-old, went to school for journalism, and have been freelancing for almost six years. I usually work seven days a week, pitch stories to sites/magazines/newspapers constantly, and have about a million stories working at once. Freelancing is incredibly difficult, but being able to do what I've always wanted to do (and work my own hours) is more fulfilling than I can express in words.
My advice to you- and something I wish someone would have told me when I started out: Sometimes, you have to work for free. I don't mean an internship necessarily, but if you want to write about food and you don't have any experience writing, you should approach a food site you love (like SE) and ask if you can contribute. You may get paid nothing you may get paid very little, but at least you'll have clips to show for when you start pitching bigger features.
When I dropped out of college and moved away from my hometown of Los Angeles, I did an internship and began contributing to a collective blog. I didn't get paid, but I made a bunch of contacts at publishing houses and I got cookbooks for free, so it seemed worth it. After several dozen cookbook reviews (and other clips I'd amassed over time), I was able to start pitching food-related pitches to magazines. Long story short, it really is worth it to work for free sometimes. The experience, clips, and free swag really helps.
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About PumpkinBear
Location: Los Angeles, CA
About: I love to cook.
Favorite foods: All sandwiches, pozole, pad thai, turkey mole, sushi, cheese, roasted potatoes, all pasta, mandarin oranges, bread, asparagus, roasted broccoli and cauliflower, parmesan chicken topped with a green salad, my dad's Mexican rice and enchilladas.
Last bite on earth: Fettucini with butter, cracked black pepper, and lots of Parmesan. Also, maybe some homemade bread for good measure.
There is an amazing recipe in the Baked Explorations cookbook by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Seriously, foodgasms are guaranteed. I've converted several people into pumpkin lovers because of these things.
Technically they're pumpkin cheddar muffins that have cayenne pepper and brown sugar in them, which makes them sweet and savory. They're topped with extra cheddar and toasted pepitas, which gives them a killer crunch. If you're interested in the recipe, let me know and I'll post it. I'm not sure if you can find it online, so I may have to type it up.