Peggy Lampman's Tuesday dinnerFeed: Cuban black beans and pork

I accompanied the beans and pork with white rice which I seasoned with turmeric - the resulting color of the rice was lovely with the black beans. Saffron would have been a great choice of seasonings as well.

Bean Soaking Time: 12- 24 hours
Active Time: 15 minutes
Simmer Time: 60-90 minutes
Yield: 4-5 cups
Cost: Approx. $7.50

Ingredients

1 cup dry black beans, soaked overnight
2 tablespoons chopped garlic, divided
1-2 bay leaves
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 green bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 jalapeno pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon oregano
1-2 cups leftover Mojito pork
2-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro plus extra sprigs for garnish
Red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Soak beans in 4 cups of water 12-24 hours.
2. Cook beans in water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, add bay leaf and 1 tablespoon garlic, reduce heat to simmer and cook until tender, 60-90 minutes. Drain beans, remove bay leaf. Transfer 1/2 cup beans to a small bowl and mash to a paste. Return smashed beans to pot and toss beans with vinegar.
3. While beans are cooking, make a sofrito by heating olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion and green pepper and cook until just softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in remaining garlic, jalapeno, cumin, coriander, oregano and diced pork.
4. Combine beans with sofrito-pork mixture. Simmer the mixture several minutes for the flavors to combine, adding a bit of water or olive oil if it is dry. Season with kosher salt and red pepper flakes.