Claribel Recipes
Discover what is the
Dominican flag
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Stewed Red Beans with Claribel Dominican Seasoning
Stewed red beans are one of the dishes that are served almost every day on the lunch table, and the focal point in this recipe is the delicious Dominican seasoning from Claribel. This flavorful dish consists of creamy beans with spices and herbs, perfect to accompany a plate of rice or serve over crispy concón.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THEM ❤️
Dominican Stewed Beans are one of the main components of the «Dominican Flag» (our traditional lunch of rice, meat, beans, and salad), and they are served almost every day at lunchtime.
«The Dominican cuisine is more than just rice and beans» could be the motto of our blog, and it definitely would be if it were a bit more catchy. Anyway, rice with stewed beans is one of the most common combinations in Dominican cuisine, and this recipe will give you the authentic traditional Dominican seasoning from Claribel.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups of dried red, pinto, or kidney beans
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1⁄4 teaspoon of oregano
1 cubanelle pepper or diced bell pepper
1 small red onion, quartered
2 cloves of crushed garlic
1 cup of diced auyama (West Indian pumpkin)
1⁄2 cup of tomato sauce
4 sprigs of ditén (thyme) (optional)
Chopped celery leaves (optional)
1⁄2 teaspoon of finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 packet of Claribel Dominican Seasoning (or more, to taste)
HELPFUL TIPS
In my house, we used to use «ajíes gustosos,» but in some households, they use cubanelle peppers. However, «ajíes gustosos» are more difficult to find nowadays, and personally, I don’t like the taste of cubanelle peppers in my beans, so I prefer to use sweet bell peppers (capsicums).
Each Dominican cook has their own herb preferences for the beans. For some, the
«verduras» – a combination of recaito (culantro leaves) and recao (flat-leaf parsley) – are essential. Oregano is almost universally used, and in my region of the country, ditén (thyme) is never missing.
If you can find broadleaf cilantro (recao in Puerto Rico, «sawtooth herb» in English), add a leaf, as it provides a more intense cilantro flavor but is not offensive to people who don’t like cilantro.
In most households, auyama (West Indian pumpkin) is not added to the beans, but for me, it’s unthinkable not to add it.
The final color of your beans will depend on the type you use. Red beans are the darkest, while pinto or pink beans have a less intense color.
Normally, we use dried beans that we soak and cook at home, which is a more eco-friendly, low-sodium, and economical option. You can refer to our instructions for boiling beans at home, but if you prefer, you can also use canned beans.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
1. How to soften dried beans:
Soak the beans overnight.
Drain the water and boil them in fresh water until they are very tender.
This can take up to an hour and a half, or 20 minutes in a pressure cooker.
Separate the beans from the cooking water and reserve both.
2. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the oregano, cubanelle
pepper, red onion, garlic, auyama, tomato sauce, celery, thyme, and cilantro. Cook,
stirring, for half a minute.
3. Add the beans to the sofrito and cook for two minutes.
4. Pour 4 cups of the bean cooking water into the pot. If necessary, add fresh water
to complete the quantity. Once the liquid starts boiling, lightly mash the beans with a potato masher to remove the skins and achieve a creamier consistency.
5. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the beans reach a creamy consistency. Season with salt to taste and add Claribel Dominican Seasoning to enhance the traditional Dominican flavor.
6. Remove the onion pieces and any herb stems or sticks you used.
The Stewed Beans with Claribel seasoning will be ready to enjoy along with your plate of rice or crispy concón!