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Black Beans Menocal

A stew of black beans simmered with a green pepper puree, onions, garlic, olive oil, and seasonings.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 12 ingredients
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Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Black Beans Menocal

Time1 hour

Ingredients

Directions

Soak the beans

  1. Wash beans and soak overnight (or about 10 hrs) in 10 cups water and 1 bell pepper which has been cut in half and seeded.

  2. It is not necessary to throw out the soaking water.

Cook the beans and puree

  1. Bring to a boil then lower to medium-low and simmer uncovered.

  2. Meanwhile, add 1 onion, 1 bell pepper, the garlic and olive oil to a food processor or blender and process to the consistency of a thick milk shake.

  3. Stir-fry this green puree in a large skillet.

  4. Bring puree to a boil then lower to simmer, stirring often for 20 minutes.

  5. Place 1 cup of drained beans from the pot into the skillet with the puree, mash them with a fork and blend in with the puree. (You can also add the cup of beans into the processor or blender and process for 15 seconds.)

  6. Simmer the puree with the mashed beans for another 2 minutes.

  7. Add entire contents of skillet to the pot of cooking black beans.

Season and finish

  1. Add the salt, black pepper, oregano, bay leaf and 2 tablespoons of the sugar.

  2. Cook uncovered for 1 hour stirring often to prevent sticking.

  3. Now add the vinegar and white wine and cook for another 30 minutes.

  4. You may leave in or discard the bell pepper used in soaking.

  5. If you have the time, the beans come out better if not served immediately, but left to "sleep" overnight in the refrigerator.

  6. Re-heat in the microwave or simmer very slowly on the stovetop until ready. Stir often.

  7. Before serving add 1 tablespoon sugar and 2 tablespoons olive oil and blend in.

  8. Serve over rice topped with finely chopped red or yellow onions.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

409Calories
10 gProtein
15 gFat
55 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 13 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Black Bean1/2 cup canned (120g) drained114
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Green Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Wine2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)25
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Bay Leaf1 leaf (0.6g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  2. Garlic + oreganotop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,756 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Garlic + olivetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  4. Clove + oreganotop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together556 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  5. Pepper + clovetop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together17,451 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Black beans
Form the main body of the stew and, once mashed, thicken its texture.
Extra virgin olive oil
Carries flavour and adds richness and a smooth mouthfeel to the puree.
Green bell peppers
Add fresh, vegetal aroma and body to the green puree base.
Onion
Builds savoury depth and sweetness as it cooks down into the puree.
Garlic
Contributes pungent aroma that mellows during the long simmer.
Red wine vinegar
Adds acidity that brightens the rich, starchy beans at the end.

The step that matters

Adding the vinegar and white wine after the long simmer. Acid added too early can toughen bean skins and slow softening, so the acid is stirred in only after the beans have cooked for an hour, then simmered for 30 more minutes.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beans, pepper, clove, garlic, olive, oregano, sugar):

  1. Eggplantfits better
  2. Tomatofits better
  3. Capsicumfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beans, pepper, clove, garlic, olive, oregano, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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