Recipe: Black Beans and Rice

Ok, here we go mi amigos y amigas, I'm going to go counter to my typical cooking style by actually paying attention to what I'm doing quantity-wise while I cook so I can attempt to actually write down a semi-concise recipe. Normally I wing it as I go unless I'm using someone else's recipe so this is a stretch for my attention span, especially when I have to remember to take pictures as I go. I think I've done ok but forgive me if it's not quite as perfectly written as something else you may find online or in a book.

Havana, a Cuban walk-up restaurant near my old high school
in West Palm Beach, FL. Here's a review.

I was born in central Florida and raised in South Florida. My dad always had an inquisitive palate and he tried to instill that in me and my siblings as well. South Florida is full of Latin food. My dad worked in Boca Raton and if we ever went to his office with him he would always take us to this little Cuban diner there. It was years ago and between that and the influence of everything from chain restaurants like Pollo Tropical to my first roommate (she was Puerto Rican) I couldn't tell you what I would eat when we'd go to that diner but I can tell you that between that place and the subsequent aforementioned influences I developed an appreciation for those Caribbean/Latin influences that will endure long after I move away (should I ever be lured away from Florida again now that I'm back.)

A standard side dish in most Cuban diners is black beans and rice. Not actually being Cuban (or Latin of any sort) myself, I won't presume to claim any legitimate ethnic credibility in the following recipe but I think it's pretty good. If you give it a try I think you'll like it, too.

Black Beans and Rice

The night before you plan on making Black Bean and Rice, soak 1 cup of dry black beans in 4-6 cups of water. (Don't forget to pick out the shriveled beans and any stones you may find.) I let mine soak for around 18 hours this time. Why? No reason. I know they need to soak for at least 8 hours. I started them before bed last night and didn't get around to draining them until I was ready to start prepping today at 3:30 but if you don't soak dry beans they will never cook. Well, they might but it'll be your great-grandkids eating them, not you.

Ok, so your beans have soaked all night (or all day long if you got up early enough.) Pour the beans into a strainer so you can get rid of the water. There are conflicting schools of thought on this one and I know that some recipes actually use the soaking water. There's one key thing that I consider the no-brainer as to why you should throw the soak water out: it decreases bean-based gassiness. This isn't an issue for me but you never know about your guests.

Put your beans into a medium sized pot with 3 cups of water and either 1 large or 2 small bay leaves. Cover and bring to a boil then turn down the beans and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Check ever so often to make sure that the beans aren't sticking and that the water isn't gone completely. By the time they're done they will be a little thicker than baked beans.

While the beans are cooking, dice a medium onion (around 3/4 - 1 cup). Don't take it down to a mince though or they'll cook away. Dice 1 cup of bell pepper to the same size as your diced onion then chop 1 and 1/2 cups of tomatoes (about 1 medium tomato) into a little larger pieces than your onions and bell peppers. Mince 1/2 - 1 tablespoon of garlic (depending on how much you like garlic).

Now that you've finished all your cutting (and while you're waiting for the beans to finish cooking) go ahead and follow the instructions for your favorite brand of Basmati rice and make 4 servings of rice (about 3 cups of cooked rice). Set aside once it's cooked. (Remember that you can either soak the Basmati before or rinse the rice after. Go by the instructions on your favorite brand.)

Ok, so you have cooked beans, finished and fluffy Basmati rice and a bunch of chopped up veggies. Time to get this cooking. In a decent sized saute pan heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Make sure it's hot enough, you want to saute the veggies, not sweat them. Once heated saute your garlic, onions and bell peppers until tender but not mushy (about the consistency of what you would want if you were making peppers and onions for a cheese steak or fajitas).

Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes until the liquid created by the veggies starts to thicken. (A little bit of trivia: tomatoes are one of the few vegetables that are actually better for you when you cook them versus eating them raw because the heat does something to aid the lycopine and lycopine is super good for you.)

Add your cooked beans and mix gently. The way I mix them is somewhere between stirring and folding so I don't cause all the skins on the beans to start coming off.

Simmer away but make sure that you don't let the liquid
dry up completely, it shouldn't be soupy either, though.
The final result should be moist, not mushy, filling
but not heavy.

Once the beans and veggies have been stirred together add about 1/2 tablespoon lime juice and 1/2 tablespoon either red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the cooked rice and stir until well blended. My picture has the beans on top of the rice but it's better to make sure that it's well mixed. In the end, though, it's a matter of taste. One way or the other it's a MUST to top the beans and rice with freshly chopped cilantro. For me the more the better. The bright freshness of the cilantro balances the rich moodiness of the beans. I also like to top my black beans with fresh raw onions while some people like to put an extra splash of vinegar on them.

This makes about 8 side dishes or 4 main dishes. ¡Buen Apetito!

Grocery List

Dry Black Beans
Bay Leaf
Basmati Rice
1 Medium Onion
1 Medium Bell Pepper
1 Medium Tomato
Garlic
Lime/Lime Juice
Red Wine Vinegar
or Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Fresh Cilantro