Munyeta- A look at this obscure Cuban dish

First wash the beans well, removing any little pebbles or twigs. Add to a pressure cooker with 6 cups of water and cook the beans on medium-high heat until are soft and tender- about 25 minutes. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, soak the beans overnight and then cook them in a regular pot with 6 cups of water on medium high heat for about one hour or until the beans are tender. Once the beans are cooked, put them in a colander to drain the liquid.

Next use the back of your knife to smash 4 of the garlic cloves. Add two Tablespoons of olive oil to your pan, turn the heat up to medium high and toss the garlic in to infuse the oil. Cook until the garlic is tender and becomes sweet. Remove and set aside.

Next dice your onion and the garlic you just cooked, as well as the remaining whole cloves and then add the diced veggies to the pan, sauteing at medium-high heat for about 6 minutes.

While the onions and garlic cook, dice the ham and bacon into small cubes. After 6 minutes of sauteing the onions, transfer meat to the pan and cook until the bacon and ham become slightly crispy. Next add the beans and the paprika. Begin to mash the beans with a potato masher or the back of a large spoon until you have a coarse paste. Don’t worry about getting it perfectly smooth, you’ll want a rustic consistency. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and blend everything well. Taste for salt. The trick to this dish is letting it cook until the bottom of the mix gets browned and slightly crunchy. Then use a spatula to mix it up, allowing the new layer to get crunchy before mixing again. Add one more tablespoon of olive oil. You’ll notice that as you continue to cook the munyeta, it will become really pliable and you’ll be able to shape it into a large cake reminiscent of a Spanish tortilla. Transfer to a plate, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and garnish with some fresh chopped parsley.

I know this may sound weird, but I didn’t feel like eating this with rice, so I fried up a few eggs – over easy – and squeezed some ketchup on the side. It was delish.