Cuban Green Bean Recipes

CUBAN GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• In a saucepan, place the green beans in boiling, salted water. Cook, uncovered, until fully cooked, about 6 minutes. If you like your beans w/ a little crunch, cook 3-4 minutes.
• Remove from heat and drain.
• Sauté the onion in olive oil until the onions begin to get limp. Add garlic and ham or bacon and cook for 2 additional minutes.
• Remove from heat.
• Stir in fresh lime juice.
• Pour sauce over cooked green beans and toss to coat evenly. Season w/ salt pepper to taste.
• Sprinkle chopped fresh cilantro on top and serve.

SZECHUAN GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• To medium Dutch oven, add 2 cups canola oil and heat to 350 degrees F.
• In medium saute pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon oil. Add ginger and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute or until it turns light brown; quickly add soy sauce, chili sauce, rice wine vinegar, hoisin, mirin, sesame oil and cilantro.
• Fry the green beans in the canola oil for about 45 seconds, or until beans turn dark green. Remove, strain, and add to sauce. Toss and garnish with peanuts and parsley.

CUBAN GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• In a saucepan, place the green beans in two quarts of boiling water, with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, uncovered, until fully cooked -- about six minutes. Remove from heat and drain. Sauté the onion in olive oil until the onions begin to get limp. Add crushed garlic and ham and cook for two additional minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in fresh lime juice. Pour sauce over cooked green beans and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle chopped fresh cilantro on top and serve.

CUBAN BLACK BEANS

Steps:

• Cut 1 green pepper into 1-inch squares. Smash and peel 4 of the garlic cloves. Put the green pepper and garlic into a large pot with the beans, ham hock, bay leaves and 1 tablespoon salt. Add 2 quarts water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer until the beans are tender, an hour or more.
• Meanwhile, make a sofrito. Cut the remaining ½ green pepper into ¼-inch dice. Peel and finely chop the remaining garlic. Heat the olive oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the green pepper and onion and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeño (leave out the seeds if you don't want it too spicy), oregano, cumin, black pepper and 2 teaspoons salt and stir for another minute. Pour in the vinegar and scrape any browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. This is your sofrito.
• When the beans are cooked, discard the bay leaf. Remove and set aside the ham hock and let it cool. Transfer 1 cup of beans to small bowl, mash them into a paste with the back of a fork and return to the pot. Add the sofrito, then the sugar. Pull the meat from the ham hock, leaving behind any white sinew or gristle. Chop the ham into ½-inch pieces and return it to the bean pot.
• Stir the beans well and bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so, skimming any foam from the top. Taste for salt and serve with white rice.

CUBAN GREEN SALAD WITH AVOCADOS

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup of the canola oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When oil shimmers, add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and soft, about 10 minutes.
• Add 1/3 cup of the sherry vinegar, and scrape up any browned bits that have adhered to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
• Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. Combine remaining 1/3 cup sherry vinegar and lime juice in a medium nonreactive bowl, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. While constantly whisking, pour in remaining 1/4 cup canola oil and olive oil in a slow, thin stream until dressing is well combined; set aside.
• To serve, combine cooled onions, tomatoes, avocados, lettuces, and black beans in a large bowl and toss. Add 3/4 of the vinaigrette and toss until greens are well coated. Taste, add more vinaigrette as desired, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.