Frijoles Negros Americana: Black Beans of Excellence

One of us is half Cuban, or half not Cuban, depending on perspective. The Cuban half, however, grew up on things like ropa vieja (a stewed beef dish) , platanos maduros (fried ripe plantains), picadillo, and of course, and always, frijoles negros.(black beans). Both halves of us truly love our Cuban black beans and while we've admittedly "Americanized" the dish a bit, this quick and simple method creates a pretty authentic pot of frijoles negros than always gets rave reviews at potlucks and a "Bueno" from the relatives who know the difference.

One 16 oz can of black beans

1/2 cup diced onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1/8th cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

Italian seasoning

salt and pepper

Heat your olive oil in the pot, then add prepared onion and garlic. Saute until tender, translucent and fragrant.

Don't drain the can - just pour the whole thing in. While the can of beans we used was labeled "seasoned" , that's not necessary. The seasoning you're using here is all the seasoning you need.

Stir beans, onion and garlic together.

Add your apple cider vinegar - we use about an 1/8th cup but a little more doesn't hurt!

Add a couple teaspoons Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.

Over medium low heat, stir your beans gently until they start to boil.

Simmer your pot of beans on low, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes.

After about 30 minutes, your beans will thicken into a wonderful sort of soupy broth.

Serve the beans over white rice, and you've got a delicious, healthy stand alone meal that's a complete protein full of flavorful joy, or a complimentary side dish to any number of meats, or as part of a delicious picadillo dinner!

Disfruta tu frijoles negros! (Enjoy your beans!)