Latin Style Black Beans and Smoked Sausage

Most cultures have a basic dish that goes with just about anything they make. In Latin cuisine, it’s black beans, they pair with everything. Because of it’s popularity, there are so many different ways to prepare it. And, pouring a can of beans into a pot and heating them up is not one of them. This post is about Latin style black beans and smoked sausage. Smoked sausage sautéed and simmered with black beans over low heat. This is a classic side popular in just about every Latin American country

I’m sure I have mentioned that the South Americans (Brazilians and Argentinians) do love their meat. They have perfected many ways to prepare and cook it. And, sausage is one of them. So, I’m thinking a nice smoked sausage would be ideal way to add some serious deliciousness to the simple beans. Living state side, unfortunately, I don’t have access to all the wonderful meat products available in Latin America. I want this recipe as easy to make in rural Idaho as much as here in South Florida with all my Latin influence. By the way, If you’re from rural Idaho and following my blog, thank you, leave a comment. I hope you’re able to find all the ingredients I list.

In my post for lentil and sausage stew, I mentioned a simple idea “It’s what’s in the fridge”. The idea here, is, if you don’t have the exact ingredients, use whatever you have in the fridge. And, in my freezer I have some frozen smoked sausage, think Kielbasa, this will work great. This recipe is similar to a Brazilian dish called Feijoada. However, that’s a stand alone stew with more meat and cooked for longer, and, totally delicious

As with anything savory, always start with sautéed onions and garlic, in a pan with olive oil over medium high heat. They need to brown, but not burn. This is the Maillard reaction. The boring part is it’s chemical reaction of proteins and sugars in the presence of heat. However it’s what makes food delicious. Now for the rest of the ingredients.

The sausage brings so many flavors to the dish, the spiciness, smokiness are just a few. I cut the sausage lengthwise, then lengthwise again and finally into 1/4 inch pieces. This is for a few reasons. Firstly, no big chunks of sausage, the size of all the ingredients will be relatively equal. The flavors spread better in the dish and the sausage will get a little char when cooking. So, add the sausage pieces, mix well and allow to cook with the onions and garlic. The idea is everything will get a little color. Some of the fats in the sausage will render down, and a great flavor base will be created.

Now add the beans. It may look a little soupy, but, that’s fine. Also add the seasoning and stir well

The easy solution is to crush some of the beans into a paste, this way the soupy beans will thicken while they’re cooking. This can be done by pressing the back of a wooden spoon against the side of the pot. Let the beans come to a boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer about 20 mins or so

And, there you have Latin style black beans and smoked sausage. There’s enough here to put with some white rice as a meal, or, as a side to a whole dish. Either way, totally delicious, Enjoy and thank you for reading.