Cuban-ish Red Beans

Beans are a staple in any Cuban household. From black, to red, to garbanzos and split peas…Cubans have a recipe for them all and beans and rice are a typical accompaniment to any traditional Cuban meal. While I could never be accused of being traditional in any sense, I love beans in all their incarnations and red beans rank right at the top. This recipe is relatively easy to make and keeps well in the fridge for a week. Hopefully you’ll love them as much as I do!

Frijoles Colorados

My recipe is based on my mother’s with some minor changes to make it a bit healthier and to account for my preference for boniato over malanga.

Ingredients:

  • 1 small smoked ham hock
  • 1lb dry red kidney beans
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 3 -4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 oz tomato sauce
  • 1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • bay leaf
  • generous splash of dry white wine (or your preferred cooking wine)
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • calabaza (winter squash) @ 1 lb peeled and cut into large cubes
  • 2 boniato (white sweet potato), peeled and cut into medium cubes
  • 3-4 oz Palacios spanish chorizo, casing removed & cut into 8 pieces
  • 1/4 lb ham steak, cubed

Directions:

  1. Place beans, ham hock, and 10 cups of water in pressure cooker. Set for 20 minutes. Let it depressurize automatically or release pressure manually after 10 minutes. Discard ham hock.
  2. Add all ingredients and stir.
  3. Cook on medium-medium high (so you have a constant roiling boil) for 30-45 minutes. It’s ready when you can pierce the boniato with a fork easily.

The recipe yields about 8 cups. A one cup serving has approximately 200 calories, 10g of fat, and 440mg of sodium. (As always this depends on your brands and salt preferences.) It’s a hearty meal on it’s own but can certainly be served as part of a more elaborate traditional Cuban meal with rice, roasted pork, and baked plantains.

Calabaza
Chorizo
Boniato

Over the years I’ve developed a personal preferance for brands so when I specify, feel free to substitute with your own preferences or whatever may be available in your area. For example, boniato is readily available in areas where Caribbean ingredients and food are common, but not necessarily in other places in the US.

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