Cuban Black Beans

Personally, I don't think I'm a picky eater. However, when I found out my in-laws try to keep track of all the foods I don't like, I realized that maybe others see my food preferences differently.

I'll try anything once, but there are a few things that I just avoid if possible.

Foods I don't like:

Melon

Cucumber

Yeasted donuts (cake donuts are an entirely different story)

Squid or any other seafood with chewy tentacles

Fruit-flavored hot tea

Supermarket cake frosting

Processed cheese food (EZ Cheese, Cheez Whiz, etc)

Um, let's not go deeper into the processed food dislikes, shall we?

My husband, on the other hand, will eat anything. I can spend all day trying out a recipe for duck a l'orange or throw a frozen pizza in the oven and he will be just as content with either option. Bless his heart, he's chewed through many of my cooking disasters. Like that pumpkin soup that had way too much onion in it - he still ate it, cheerily saying it "cleared his sinuses". Or that fancy spice rub I tried to create for Christmas pheasant that turned into some type of cinnamon curry. Not so good.

There is one thing he doesn't eat, though: beans.

I'm talking about any bean. Green bean, black bean, kidney, garbanzo, soy, even peas. He just doesn't like them. So why do I keep trying to get him to eat them? Why can't I just leave him alone about it and accept the fact that he's not a bean guy?

Well, I love beans and I love a challenge, so I keep trying to sneak beans onto his plate. I know, I'm so mean. But guess what? I finally found a bean dish that he'll eat. No, not only eat, but enjoy.

I happened upon Cook for Good via Mark Bittman's NYTimes blog and it's a great find. Basically, the author Linda Watson put together tools like shopping lists, menus, and recipes for people to be able to eat economically AND sustainably. One of her recommendations: cook up a pot of dried beans every week.

So I cooked up a pot of black beans. A lot of beans. Two pounds of dry beans, to be exact. Which basically fills a crockpot.

I mean, I like beans, but seriously.

I froze some and put the rest in the fridge, scanning cookbooks for bean recipes. I had a ham hock in the freezer, so I knew I wanted to use that too (Ham + Beans = Good). And then this recipe fell in my lap.

I've checked out The Splendid Table's How To Eat Dinner from my local library twice now. I should just go buy the darn thing, it's a great cookbook. I mean, this book got my husband to eat a bowl full of beans and then go for seconds. That's saying something.

PS - On the topic of sustainable eating, click here to see the movie trailer for Food Inc. Basically, it looks like The Omnivore's Dilemma in cinematic form. I hope this comes to Bismarck, or at least I hope our community movie club Cinema 100 picks it up for a showing...

Cuban Black Beans

Adapted from The Splendid Table's How To Eat Dinner

1 ham hock

Olive oil

1 whole clove

1 large onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 teaspoons salt

1 - 14-oz. can chicken or vegetable broth

6 garlic cloves, chopped

3 bay leaves

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3 generous Tablespoons tomato paste

2 - 15-oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup sherry, wine, or cider vinegar; or 2 limes

Chopped cilantro for garnish

Film bottom of large pot with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add ham hock, clove, onion, peppers, and salt. Saute for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until veggies are sizzling (don't let the juices on the bottom of the pot turn black).

Add a little broth with garlic, bay leaves, spices, and tomato paste. Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot as it simmers; this gives the dish flavor. Add rest of broth and beans. Adjust heat so pot bubbles gently. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, adding a little extra broth or water if needed while cooking.

Remove ham hock and cut any meat off the bone, returning meat to pot. Stir in vinegar or juice from limes. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Serve over rice with cilantro as garnish.