I grew up eating black beans. Here’s the recipe from my Cuban cookbook.
1 14 oz bag of dry black beans
2 quarts water
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
2 teaspoons of cumin
1 green bell pepper cleaned and cut into quarters
1/2 onion finely chopped
2 tablespoons of minced fresh garlic
1/4 cup pure Spanish olive oil
3 tablespoons of cider vinegar
1/4 cup dry white sherry wine
1 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
Rinse beans, discard any stones and soak overnight in large pot with the baking soda, oregano, cumin and green pepper.
The next day, cook beans in the same water for about three hours until the beans are tender and the liquid is reduced and somewhat thickened. Don’t let the liquid totally boil away though so add water when necessary.
In a small pan, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until the onion is translucent. Add about three large tablespoons of the beans to this mixture and stir, simmering several minutes before adding all of this back to the beans. Mix well and then add the vinegar, wine, salt and remaining cumin. Cook about 20 more minutes and serve over rice.
Now, my sister was very picky so my mom routinely left out lots of these ingredients and the beans were still okay, but I do like all these goodies.