Cuban black beans

Serve over white rice with fried plantains, a salad, and cold beer. Omit the meat for a vegetarian version.

1 lb dried black beans
1/2 lb or so smoked pork neck bones or a ham hock.
1 large white onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed, sliced thinly
1 TB wine vinegar
2 TB olive or other oil
4 bay leaves
Salt & pepper

Rinse the beans and soak overnight if desired. There’s no need to soak, however. If you do not the beans will just take a bit longer to cook.

In a large Dutch over, sauté both peppers, the garlic, and the onions  in the oil until wilted. Add the beans, the vinegar,  and enough water to just cover (if you soaked your beans) or to cover by a couple of inches (if not soaked). Add some grindings of black pepper. If not using the neck bones, add 1 tsp salt (the bones are quite salty). Bury the neck bones and bay leaves in the beans and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook until the beans are done, stirring once in a while and making sure the water level does not go below the top of the beans.

When the beans are quite soft (1-1/2 to 2 hours appx) remove the neck bones and bay leaves. Take any meat off the bones and reserve. Use an immersion blender or other method to mash/puree about 1/4 of the beans. Stir the reserved meat back into the beans and check for salt. Simmer for another 30 minutes and serve.

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