Cuban-style black beans

I promised my Cuban black bean recipe to a few people, so here it is...


1 Tbsp olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (can put more if you like it really spicy)
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped (optional)
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 scallions, finely chopped (I rarely have scallions in my house so I just put in extra onion)
3-4 strips of bacon, minced (or Canadian ham)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken stock/broth
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add pepper, onions, scallions, bacon, garlic, cilantro, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf. Cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft but not brown. Stir in the beans. Cook for another couple minutes over high heat. Stir in the sugar and 1 1/2 cups of the stock or broth. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Puree one-quarter of the bean mixture in a blender (or mash it with a fork). Stir the puree into the simmering beans. Simmer for 2 minutes more, or until thick but still soupy. If the bean mixture is too thick, add more stock or broth. Season with salt and black pepper. Serve it over rice and enjoy!!! We like ours with some fried plantains.

*** this recipe is very forgiving. I substitute and add stuff to it all the time. I don't measure anything anymore, just eye ball it. I often add some sort of meat to it as well. In the picture above I happened to have some little smokeys, so I added those in. It tastes great every time.