I am NOT a fan of refried beans. I really don't care for pinto beans in any form. But I LOVE black beans. If you have Mexican food at my house, it will have a side of black beans (and rice!). For years I just opened a can of them. But just a can needs some work. I tried adding all kinds of spice blends, salsa, etc. Never could quite get what I wanted. Then I came across the original recipe in a book of recipes from Moosewood Restaurant (I've adapted it a bit). It has a lot of vegetarian recipes and uses a lot of organic ingredients. I can't make most of the recipes, but this is one I can! I hope you like this dish as much as we do. Its a great side, but would also just be good over some rice for a meatless meal. Its SO versatile--you could add hot peppers or cayenne to spice it up, you could top it with sour cream or cheese or cilantro. You could add corn and bell pepper. Have fun!
Mexican Skillet Black Beans
2 tsp oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced onions
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 cup salsa or tomato juice
3 cups cooked black beans*
salt to taste, if needed
In a covered skillet or saucepan, heat the oil on medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the cumin and coriander and stir for a minute to toast the spices a bit. Add the salsa or tomato juice, stir well, cover, and simmer about 5 minutes. Add the black beans and simmer until slightly thickened--another 5 minutes or so. If you like, you can mash the beans a bit with a fork or masher if you want them more like refried beans.
*Three cups of beans is 2 cans, drained. I use dried beans though. I soak over night, then drain and rinse. Cook in salted water until tender. You can also do a quick soak. Place beans in pot with water. Bring to a boil. Cut off heat and cover after 2 minutes. Let sit for about 30 minutes to an hour. Then drain, add fresh water and salt and boil until tender. You can also use a pressure cooker if you have one to speed up the cook time (which is normally a couple hours for dried beans). I usually just do a pound or half kilo bag of beans, use how many I need and freeze the rest for another time.
Other notes: I like it best with salsa! Adds more depth of flavor. I sometimes use tomato juice though and just add some extra salt and seasonings.
2 tsp oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced onions
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 cup salsa or tomato juice
3 cups cooked black beans*
salt to taste, if needed
In a covered skillet or saucepan, heat the oil on medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the cumin and coriander and stir for a minute to toast the spices a bit. Add the salsa or tomato juice, stir well, cover, and simmer about 5 minutes. Add the black beans and simmer until slightly thickened--another 5 minutes or so. If you like, you can mash the beans a bit with a fork or masher if you want them more like refried beans.
*Three cups of beans is 2 cans, drained. I use dried beans though. I soak over night, then drain and rinse. Cook in salted water until tender. You can also do a quick soak. Place beans in pot with water. Bring to a boil. Cut off heat and cover after 2 minutes. Let sit for about 30 minutes to an hour. Then drain, add fresh water and salt and boil until tender. You can also use a pressure cooker if you have one to speed up the cook time (which is normally a couple hours for dried beans). I usually just do a pound or half kilo bag of beans, use how many I need and freeze the rest for another time.
Other notes: I like it best with salsa! Adds more depth of flavor. I sometimes use tomato juice though and just add some extra salt and seasonings.
What kind of black beans do you typically buy? I have bought some here in China before, and after HOURS of soaking and cooking they still were like tiny stones. ζδΉε？？
ReplyDeleteHey Bentleys--years ago the same thing happened to me with local black beans. I got to where I just bought dried black beans at the import store for years. Then last year I tried the local ones in the market again and I've been more successful with them. They aren't the same--kind of different texture but they work great in this dish because it has lots of flavor. With the market ones, there are two different kinds that are sold by my ladies, but I'm not sure that I get the same one each time! :) I soak overnight and then boil until tender. OR I do them in the pressure cooker after soaking overnight. Have you tried that?
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