Hi everyone,

My grandmother used to make a black bean dish she called Frijoles a la Menocal. Has anyone heard of it? I have looked in several Cuban cookbooks but I have never come across anything like it.

I know she cooked the beans in red wine instead of water and she must have added some sugar because it was rather sweet.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Gracias!!!

There are many styles of cooking Cuban black beans. It depends mostly on the taste of the cook. Some people prefer to use a dry white wine and others a red wine...still others use vinegar instead of wine.

The only diference in Frijoles Menocal and others as far as I have been able to find is that the sofrito calls for tomatoes.

Most cooks do add a little bit of sugar to the beans while cooking to counterbalance the acidity of the wine or vinegar.

Some people like their beans 'aguados' or with lots of broth and the whole beans floating in it. Others prefer the broth to be thicker and mash some of the cooked beans to help thicken the broth. Others prefer a 'potaje' and mash all the beans to make it very thick.

It is all in personal preference.