Rinse Black Beans in cold water and discard stones and bad beans.
Select Sauté and allow pot to fully heat. Then add Olive Oil to coat bottom of pot. Add Ham Hock, Onions and Green Pepper to cooking pot and Sauté for 5 minutes.
Add Garlic, Tomato Paste, Cumin and Sugar and Sauté for 30 seconds.
Add Bay leave, Water and Black Beans to cooking pot.
Lock on Lid and close Pressure Valve. Cook at High pressure for 25 minutes. When Beep sounds, wait 10 minutes and then release the pressure.
Remove bay leaf and toss. Remove about 3/4 cup of the black beans and smash them well, with a fork. Stir the smashed beans back into the pot. Taste and add Salt, if needed.
Select Sauté and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve with Rice.
Notes
Cubans eat Black Beans with Rice as a side dish and not as soup.Sofrito is frequently used as a base in Latin American, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese cooking. Cuban Sofrito is just Spanish Onions, Green Pepper and Garlic.Mashing some of the beans gives the Black Beans a perfect consistency.For a different flavor, try using 8 oz of chopped bacon instead of the Ham Hock and add 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar.