Cuban Black Beans

Sort through the beans, remove any damaged beans and debris, and rinse in cold water. Cover with 600 ml water, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes, then remove from heat, cover with a lid and let soak for 1 hour — this is a quick-soak method instead of soaking overnight.

Drain off the soaking water, rinse the beans again, return them to the pot and cover with 1.2 L fresh water. Add 1 bay leaf, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer for 60-70 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed to keep the beans covered.

Meanwhile, finely dice the onion and bell pepper, and mince the garlic.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion for 4-5 minutes until translucent, add the bell pepper and cook for another 5 minutes until softened, then add the garlic at the end and cook for 1 minute more — this makes the sofrito, the fragrant base of Cuban cuisine.

Once the beans are tender, stir in the sofrito, the second bay leaf, oregano, cumin and sugar.

Simmer uncovered over low heat for another 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally and mashing some of the beans against the side of the pot with a spoon to thicken the mixture to a creamy consistency.

Stir in the vinegar, season with salt and pepper to taste, and remove the bay leaves. Serve hot, traditionally with white rice.