Stewed Beans (Canned Beans)

The stewed beans are part of the traditional country dish which consist of rice, beans and meat, and it's called bandera dominicana. Over the years I have learned to prepare delicious creamy stewed beans always using naturally seasoning. Since I have lived the last 13 years in the country and have always work from home, I have the good fortune to be able to take my time to cook and almost always prepare bean dishes using fresh beans or dried grains.

I almost never use canned beans to make stew, just to make chili con carne or mix with rice when I am in a hurry. For me canned beans have a distinctive flavor and are not as good in taste and creaminess as the fresh beans that our Latin mothers and grandmothers prepare. Today I had to use a can of beans because I was short in time and my husband wanted rice with chicken (locrio de pollo) with stewed beans on the side, a combination not very common among Dominicans, but scrumptious!

En Español

I posted on facebook that I was going to make this recipe using a can of beans and asked for suggestions… I received many tricks to make canned beans taste good. Just like my cyberfriend, Adalgisa, I also like to add Dominican pumpkin (auyama) and coriander to add flavor and texture to the stew. To read what our good friends shared on Facebook: Click Here.

My recipe and notes on how I prepare this stew using fresh or dried beans can be found in my Dominican recipe eBook, How to Cook Dominican Style.

Stewed beans
(Recipe using 1 can of beans) Easy recipe to prepare in 30 minutes!

Ingredients:
½ onion
½ red pepper
½ cube chicken or chicken (optional)
¼ teaspoon ground oregano
2 tablespoons oil
½ teaspoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste or ¼ cup tomato sauce
1 can beans (15oz./439 g )
⅓ cup chopped pumpkin
1 allspice berry (pimento / all -spice)
Cilantro sprigs
Black pepper to taste
1½ can of water (½ cups / 593 ml)

Instructions:
1. In a food processor chop the onion and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of water, oregano, and chicken cube portion, process until it is almost liquid.
2. Peel and dice the pumpkin into ½-inch pieces, set aside.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium saucepan, and then add the seasoning, tomato sauce and garlic. When a thick sauce has formed, add the can of beans with its water, squash, allspice, cilantro and 1½ can of water.
4. Cook covered over low heat for 20 minutes, verify salt, add black pepper to taste and add ½ teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Cook for 10 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender and the sauce has thicken yet it is abundant. Serve with white rice, meat and fried plantains. Today I served mine with rice and chicken (locrio de pollo).

Yield: 5 servings.

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