Dominican Red Beans - Dominican Habichuelas

Ingredients:

2 cans of water

3 strips of bacon

1/2 chicken broth cube, cut into small pieces

1 tablespoon of powdered, seasoning

3 cherry tomatoes, without the skin and cut in half

1/2 teaspoon of oregano, optional

2 cloves of whole garlic, crushed in a pilon with a pinch of salt

1/2 green or sweet red pepper, chopped or diced

1/2 medium sized onion, chopped or diced

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 small pieces of aullama or pumpkin

1 can of red or black beans, strain off the water

2 coriander leaves

1 teaspoon of tomato paste

Salt, to taste

Ground pepper, to taste

Cooking Instructions:

In a saucepan over a low flame, add the strips of bacon or bacon pieces and cook for 6 minutes (so the grease or fat can burn off). Increase the flame so that the bacon can crisp slightly. Remove bacon and reserve aside for later. In the same saucepan, add crushed garlic, salt and pepper, onion, chicken broth cube (which you will break up to a powder with your fingers). Also add the tomato paste, with powdered seasoning, oregano, coriande and aullama or pumpkin. Over a low to medium flame, blend together for about 1 minute. Add the beans and 2 cans of water. Cover the pot and cook over low to medium flame for about 20 minutes. Next remove the pumpkin or aullama so it can be crushed with a fork or other type of utensil. The pumpkin or aullama should be crushed into a puree type of consistency. Finally, return the aullama or pumpkin to the pot and cook it for about 18 minutes. Add the bacon you have prepared earlier and serve over rice.

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