From Mike Weinbaum

Abuela’s Black Beans over Rice

2 Hours  |  Serves 8

This was one of the first recipes from my wife’s grandmother that I tried, and it was love at first bite. Her special method of mashing a portion of the cooked beans was to satisfy her husband—who would have preferred not to see the shape of a single bean in his meal. Their compromise is what makes this recipe so good and a frequent dish during the holidays and all throughout the year.

How To Make It:

• Soak beans overnight in 5-6 cups of water.
• In the same water, cook beans on low for 1 hour. Remove approximately 1 cup of soft beans with strainer. Mash these beans and then return them to the rest of the beans and water. Stir.
• Make a Sofrito by first chopping the bell pepper and onion in a food processor. Mash the garlic and add half to the pepper and onion mixture. Saute in olive oil until the onion is translucent. Add the Sofrito to the beans along with oregano, cumin, sugar, vinegar, and bay leaf.
• Simmer all together for 1 hour.
• Juice all the limes and make a Mojo sauce by adding remaining mashed garlic to the juice.
• Add salt and pepper to the beans to taste, serve over cooked rice with Mojo sauce on the side.