Most of y’all that follow me on Instagram & Facebook know that I have an awesome Cuban neighbor that supplies me with black beans on a weekly basis. And, most of y’all know that I have contemplated spying on her to see what her secret is, because they are that good. She’s told me how she makes than many times… but, the last time she was going over the recipe with me, she told me a key point.

Pressure cooker.

Now, pressure cookers always used to intimidate me… maybe I watched “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” too much or something, but they were never on my list of kitchen gadgets “must haves”. Until I realized that is the secret to awesome black beans.

So, for mother’s day I got a pressure cooker. I got a stove top model that stated it was safe for all types of stove tops. Unfortunately, glass top stove tops don’t maintain their temperature enough to maintain a proper pressure. The solution? An electric one.

So, happy Mother’s day to me with this baby. Kitchen appliances to me are like tools are to a mechanic.

Now, even if you don’t have a pressure cooker, it’s still a good recipe for black beans. so, don’t fret.

And, it’s so simple and basic…

But, one big rule to remember: Don’t add any sort of salt until the very end. Your beans won’t soften if you add salt. Weird, huh? I also gave directions for cooking these in a crock pot. Just in case you don’t have a pressure cooker.

Cuban black beans

Ingredients

16 ounces of black beans rinsed and sorted
2 TBS olive oil
1 green pepper diced
1 medium onion diced
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic minced

Instructions

In a pressure cooker saute the pepper and onion in the olive oil until tender. Add the pepper, garlic and beans and bay leaf.
Cover with 7 cups of water.
Cook at high pressure for 28 minutes.
Allow the pressure to release naturally.
Stir in Adobo seasoning to taste.
Beans will thicken upon standing.
WITHOUT a pressure cooker:
Complete first steps except cook in a crock pot at high for six hours.