Potaje de Frijoles Negros | Cuban Black Bean Soup with Sofrito

Drain the soaked beans and discard the soaking water. Rinse them well and remove any split or broken beans; they will break down during cooking and cloud the soup too early.

Put the beans and bay leaves in 2 liters of cold water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat, leave the lid slightly ajar, and cook for 60 minutes. Skim off the gray foam that gathers on the surface during the first 10 minutes. The beans are ready when one crushes easily between two fingers.

Heat the olive oil in a wide skillet and cook the finely chopped onion over medium heat for 6 minutes, until the edges turn translucent. Add the diced green pepper and red bell pepper and sauté for 4 more minutes. Add the crushed garlic, cumin, and thyme and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant, then remove from the heat.

Add the sofrito to the beans. Deglaze the skillet with a ladleful of bean broth, scraping up the oil and browned bits, and add it to the pot. Add the salt and cook over low heat with the lid slightly ajar for 35 minutes. The liquid should thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Transfer a ladleful of beans to a bowl, mash them with a fork, and stir them back into the pot; their starch will thicken the soup, so no flour is needed. If the soup is still thin, uncover completely and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Add the vinegar and sugar 2 minutes before turning off the heat, then stir. Acidity added at the beginning tightens the bean skins and prevents the beans from softening, so add it at the end. Remove the bay leaves, taste and adjust the salt, and serve hot with plain white rice.