Caraotas negras are the beating heart of the Venezuelan table: glossy, savory-sweet black beans that anchor pabellón criollo, the national dish, and overflow from freshly toasted arepas with shredded white cheese. Once you make them properly, canned-beans-as-a-side never feels quite enough again.
Black beans have been cultivated in the Americas since pre-Columbian times, and every Venezuelan family has its own version of this recipe. The signature move is a touch of papelón (raw cane sugar) that rounds the beans out with a barely-there sweetness; whether it belongs is a long-running debate, and this recipe includes it.
This version uses canned beans and a quick sofrito of bacon, onion, pepper and garlic, which gets you deep, simmered-all-day flavor in half an hour.
Caraotas Negras Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 slices bacon, finely chopped
- ½ large onion, finely chopped (about ¾ cup)
- ½ red and/or green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon finely grated panela/papelón, or brown sugar (optional)
- 2 cans (15.5 oz each) black beans
- Adobo all-purpose seasoning with pepper, to taste
- 3 sprigs fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 oz queso blanco, grated, for serving
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until the fat renders and it begins to crisp, about 7 minutes.
- Add the onion, pepper and garlic and cook until softened and starting to brown, about 12 minutes.
- Stir in the grated panela, if using.
- Add the black beans, ¾ cup water and adobo seasoning, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce to medium-low and simmer until the mixture thickens and the beans are heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Just before serving, stir in the cilantro and olive oil.
- Serve topped with grated queso blanco.
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