Frijoles Negros: The Best Black Beans Ever

Got your attention, huh? Full disclosure should add "vegetarian," so that may encourage some more than others. These are, however, delicious.

I concocted these in response to the recent recipe for Cuban Black Beans in the New York Times magazine, which relied on a ham hock (and some impromptu burning). Without those flavour elements, some other additions were called for.

Ingredients:
2 cups dried black beans
6 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 or 2 jalapeño peppers
1 tsp, and another 1 tsp, of smoked paprika (pimenton) - or 2 smoked chipotle chilis
a few celery leaves/tops
1 tsp salt or to taste
2 Tbps olive oil
1 bell pepper
2 sticks celery
1 small onion
1 large bell pepper
2 medium tomatoes
2 sticks celery
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 Tbp brown sugar

Method
Rinse and sort beans and soak in three cups of water for a few hours or overnight if possible. Combine beans, 2 cloves of garlic, jalapeño, 1 tsp pimenton or a chipotle, celery tops and bay leaves in a slow cooker or large pot with a litre of water and cook, 3-4 hours in slow cooker or an hour or so on the stove top. Remove bay and celery leaves. Remove one cup of cooked beans and mash, then return to the pot. Add salt.

Chop onion, remaining garlic, bell pepper, tomatoes, celery. Heat olive oil in another large pan and sauté vegetables on medium heat for 5- 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add oregano, cumin and remaining pimenton or crushed chipotle, stir for another five minutes. Add vinegar to pan and stir to deglaze.

Add beans and cooking liquid to the sofrito (which the vegetables have become), add sugar, and stir. Simmer uncovered another hour, making sure the beans retain enough liquid to be like a thick soup, and check for salt before serving.

Serve with white rice.