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–+ servings
Serving up Portuguese Style Black Beans; better than anything you can buy in a can.
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Yield: 8 people

Portuguese-Style Black Beans: Incredible Flavor from the Humble Black Bean

Prep Time: 18 hours
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Author: Andrew Gavin
These Portuguese-Style Black Beans Are Better Than Anything in a Can
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Ingredients
 

  • 1/2 lb dry black beans, 250g
  • 1/3 lb bacon, chopped into 1/2 pieces
  • 1 large heirloom tomato, chopped
  • 1/3 cup red bell pepper puree, 100g
  • 1/2 yellow onion, small dice
  • 7 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 bay leaf
  • white wine or lager beer, splash to deglaze the pot
  • salt, to taste
  • white pepper, to taste

Equipment

  • 1 bowl
  • 1 medium pot
  • 1 cutting board

Instructions
 

The Day Before

  • Soaking dry black beans with a bay leaf for Portuguese Style Black Beans.
    Place the beans in a bowl and cover with water so there is at least 2 inches above the beans. Add the bay leaf and soak overnight.
  • Soaked dry black beans with a bay leaf for Portuguese Style Black Beans.
    At a minimum the beans should soak at least 8 hours.

Cooking the Beans

  • Place a medium pot on the stove top and turn on the heat to medium.
  • Add the bacon and cooked until lightly browned, 3-5 minutes.
  • Add the onion and season with a pinch of salt. Stir with a spatula to coat the onion. Cook until soft, 3-5 minutes.
  • Bacon, onion, and garlic start the foundation of Portuguese Style Black Beans.
    Add the garlic, cook for one minute.
  • Deglazing the pot with white wine for soupy black beans.
    Add a few splashes of white wine or lager beer to deglaze the pot. Use a spatula to stir up the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Cook for 2 minutes.
  • Adding tomatoes and red bell puree to the base of Portuguese Black Beans.
    Add the red bell puree, tomato paste, and heirloom tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring periodically.
  • Adding the black beans with the soaking liquid and a bay leaf for Portuguese Style Black Beans.
    Add the beans with the soaking water and bay leaf. Turn the heat to high until a light bowl begins and then reduce the temp for a mild simmer (small bubbling aciton). Cook the beans for 60 minutes. Check on your beans every 10 minutes and add water to ensure the beans are covered by at least an inch of liquid.
  • Portuguese Style Black Beans; soupy with immense flavor.
    After the 60 minutes turn off the heat. The beans should be tender, yet hold their shape (ie not mushy). For a soupy black bean take a potato masher and mash the beans a few times to break up some of the beans.
  • Serve along side Portuguese white rice and your favorite main dish, or as the main course!
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