Caraotas Negras (Venezuelan Black Beans)
Creamy Venezuelan black beans with a sofrito of onion, peppers and garlic, a pinch of cumin and a touch of papelón.
Recipe in testing: I'm cooking it in my TM7™ and will update the steps and the photo with my own.
Caraotas is what Venezuelans call black beans, and a pot of them is always close by: they are one of the four parts of pabellón criollo, they fill arepas and empanadas, and they are served with rice, avocado and crumbled white cheese for an easy meal. Many families add a little papelón or sugar for a gentle sweet note.
The Thermomix® TM7™ chops and sautés the sofrito first, then cooks the soaked beans on reverse at soft speed, so they turn tender and creamy without breaking. The sofrito goes back in at the end with the cumin and salt, and a short simmer thickens the broth. Remember to soak the beans the night before.
Made in the Thermomix® TM7™
Caraotas Negras (Venezuelan Black Beans)
Makes: About 6 cups
- Prep15 min
- Cook1 h 45 min
- Total2 h
- Serves6
Ingredients
To serve
Instructions
- The night before, cover the beans with three times their volume of water and let them soak 8 to 12 hours. Drain and rinse.
- Place the onion, red pepper, ají dulce and garlic in the mixing bowl and chop 5 sec/speed 5. Scrape down the sides, add the oil and sauté 7 min/120°C (250°F)/speed 1. Transfer the sofrito to a small bowl; there is no need to wash the mixing bowl.
- Add the drained beans, water and bay leaf to the mixing bowl. Place the simmering basket on the mixing bowl lid instead of the measuring cup and cook 75 min/100°C (212°F)/reverse/speed soft.
- Taste a bean: it should be creamy inside. If the beans are still firm, cook 15 min/100°C (212°F)/reverse/speed soft more, adding a little hot water if they look dry.
- Add the sofrito, cumin, salt and papelón. With the simmering basket on the lid, cook 15 min/100°C (212°F)/reverse/speed soft, until the broth thickens slightly.
- For a thicker, creamier broth, mash a ladleful of beans with a fork and stir it back in. Remove the bay leaf and taste for salt.
- Serve with white rice, avocado slices and crumbled white cheese on top.
Tips
- No time to soak? Use 3 cans of black beans (15 oz each), drained, with 400 g (1 2/3 cups) of water, and after step 2 cook them with the sofrito and seasonings 15 min/100°C (212°F)/reverse/speed soft.
- Old dried beans take longer to soften. Buy them from a store with good turnover and use them within a year.
- Caraotas keep 5 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer. They thicken as they sit, so add a splash of water when you reheat them.
- They are one of the four parts of pabellón criollo, so make a batch before you cook that recipe.
