Mer's Black Bean and Sweet Pepper Salad Cubana

Mer's Black Bean and Sweet Pepper Salad Cubana

Soak:
1 lb. dry black beans for at least 4 hours in water to cover.

Finely chop:
2 shallots
2 cloves garlic
cumin
Saute in 2 tbs olive oil in large cooking pot.

Drain soaked beans and add to cooking pot and add 6 cups of water.
Add 1 tsp kosher salt.
Simmer gently for 2 hours (if at high altitude - 1.5 hours would probably be long enough at low altitude).
Cooked beans may be refrigerated overnight or until chilled.

Chop ~ 10-20 small red, orange, and/or yellow aji dulce (small sweet peppers).
Squeeze juice from 1 fresh lime. If dividing recipe to make one half with cilantro and one half with parsley, squeeze each lime half separately, or divide juice in half.

For each recipe half, mix 2 tbs olive oil, more cumin, juice of 1/2 lime, black pepper, and salt to taste if necessary (probably 1 more teaspoon of salt).

Chop 1 small bunch of cilantro and 1 small bunch of parsley separately - one for each recipe half.

Toss ingredients together with either cilantro, or parsley, or both, just before serving - taste - adjust seasoning.

Garbanzo beans may be substituted for black beans.