Black beans cooked with onions, chili peppers, garlic, oregano, red chilli sauce, chipotle, cumin, orange juice and lime.
I think these are the best black beans I’ve ever eaten in my life.
My friend Suzanne taught me some of her favorite recipes this summer (I got lucky!), and this spicy black bean recipe from the fabulous Field of Greens cookbook is one she couldn’t wait to share.
The beans have layers of chili flavor balanced with zesty orange, lime, and cilantro. They’re spicy, but you can control the degree to your taste, depending on which chilli you want to add and how much.
Spicy, citrusy black beans
Based on a recipe from the Fields of Greens cookbook.
ingredients
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4 cups dried black beans
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2 1/2 liters (10 cups) water
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2 to 3 fresh branches oregano or 1 tablespoon dried
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3 bay leaves
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6 small (or 3 large) sage leaves
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2 teaspoon Salt
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4 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
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2 yellow onionschopped
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2 chopped pepper (Capsicum, Anaheim, or Jalapeno – your choice, depending on flavor for spiciness), discarded seeds, stalks, and ribs
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6 cloves garliccrushed
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2 tablespoon Ancho Red Chili Sauce or chili powder or Tabasco, to taste
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1 to 2 teaspoon pureed chipotle in Adobo, Chipotle Tabasco or Chipotle powder to taste
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1 tablespoon cuminground whole toasted cumin is best if possible
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3 tablespoon frozen orange juice concentrate or 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
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Juice from 1 lime
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2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
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Chopped fresh coriander, for garnish
method
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Soaking Beans (optional):
Rinse and sort the beans, discarding any stones or shriveled beans. You can soak the beans in cold water overnight (cover them with several inches of water) OR pour enough boiling water over them to cover them a few inches and soak them for an hour OR skip the pre-soak step.
Soaking speeds up the cooking process. If you soak, discard the soaking liquid after soaking.
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Boil beans:
Place beans in a large saucepan with 2 1/2 liters (10 cups) of water. Add oregano, bay leaves and sage. Bring the beans to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer.
Cook until the beans are tender but not quite done. The time will vary from 30 minutes to an hour and a half, depending on how large, dry, or old your beans are, and whether you soaked them first.
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Sauté onions and peppers, add spices:
While the beans are cooking, sauté the onions and peppers in olive oil until soft. Add chili sauce, chili powder and/or chili puree, cumin and garlic. Fry until the spices are fragrant.
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Fish out bay leaves, oregano stalks and sage leaves from the bean pot and throw them away:
Remove any additional cooking liquid, but reserve until there is about 1/2 inch of liquid above the beans.
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Add the onion mixture and salt to the pot with the beans. Cook for another hour:
Or until thickened. Add reserved liquid if needed.
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Add half of the orange juice and let simmer:
Turn on the chili heat at this point – you may or may not add more of your chili paste.
Just before serving, add the remaining orange juice, lime juice, and vinegar. Salt to taste. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander.
Serve with corn tortillas and/or rice, sour cream, and salsa.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 433 | calories |
| 9g | Fat |
| 70g | carbohydrates |
| 22g | protein |
