A perfect pot of comfort
This Cuban beans and rice dish combines flavours from Spain, Africa and Latin America, writes Becky Krystal.
Rice and beans are two of the humblest pantry staples. They’re also among the cheapest and most versatile. I have to agree with chef and cookbook author Maricel Presilla who, in her James Beard Award-winning Gran Cocina Latina, unequivocally calls Cuban beans and rice ‘‘one of the most felicitous rice and bean combinations I have ever tasted’’.
Its Spanish name is Moros y Cristianos (Moors and Christians), which not only gets at the cultural collisions that led to them ending up on the same plate, but also the juxtaposition of the white rice and black beans. (Red or kidney beans are also used in Cuba.)
Once the two star ingredients are combined, the juxtaposition doesn’t last. The inky black liquid from cooking dried black beans colours the rice, and what you get is a seductive, dark hue in the finished dish.
The mingling of flavours, ingredients and colour is ‘‘the history of Cuba in a pot’’, Presilla tells me, with its merging of influences from Spain, Africa and Latin America.
‘‘It is emblematic.’’
It’s also downright delicious. The earthy flavour of the beans is the perfect foil to the brighter flavours imparted by the vinegar and oregano. Sauteed bacon doesn’t hurt either, with its smoky, salty presence infusing everything in the pot.
Rice and beans is nothing fancy, which is one of the things I love about it, but Presilla says it’s often served as feast food, especially around Christmas.
The dish is typically enjoyed as a side, she says, along with something like juicy pork and yucca with mojo sauce, but I’ve been more than happy to eat a bowl for a satisfying main course.
Presilla, who hails from Cuba, recalls the family cook teaching her how to make Moros y Cristianos. ‘‘It’s the first dish I ever made as a child,’’ she says.
It’s time those of us who haven’t had the pleasure of eating it all our lives started making up for lost time. Servings: 8
For the beans
1 cups dried black beans, rinsed and picked over to remove debris
10 cups water
1 medium onion, halved
1 medium green capsicum (seeds and ribs discarded), halved
1 cubanelle pepper (whole)
The dish is typically enjoyed as a side, along with something like juicy pork and yucca with mojo sauce, but also makes a for a satisfying main course.
For the dish
2 cups long-grain rice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
110g thick-cut bacon, diced
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 medium green capsicum (seeds and ribs discarded), finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin, or more as needed 1 teaspoon dried oregano, or more as needed
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (may substitute white distilled vinegar), or more as needed
2 teaspoons salt, or more as needed Coriander leaves, for garnish (optional)
Lime wedges, for serving (optional)
Place the beans in a large pot along with the water, onion, capsicum and cubanelle pepper.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for an hour and 40 minutes to two hours, maintaining gentle bubbling, until the beans are tender yet still retain their shape.
(Test the beans to see if they’re done – the range in time depends somewhat on how fresh the beans are.)
Drain, reserving four cups of the cooking liquid. Discard the flavouring vegetables, the yield of beans is two cups.
Rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Drain well.
Heat the oil in the same pot over medium heat. Add the diced bacon and cook for about three minutes, until golden. Add the onion, capsicum, cumin, oregano and bay leaf, and cook for about five minutes, until the onion has softened.
Add the rice and stir to coat thoroughly. Add the beans and their reserved cooking liquid, the sherry vinegar and salt. Stir well, then taste for seasoning. Add a dash more vinegar, cumin, oregano and/or salt, as needed. The liquid should be flavourful.
Cook, uncovered, for eight to 12 minutes, until most of the liquid has been absorbed and small holes have formed on the surface of the rice.
Fluff the rice with a fork, reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting, cover tightly, and cook for 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat, uncover and let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving. Discard the bay leaf.
Top each portion with coriander leaves and serve with lime wedges, if desired.
Adapted from Gran Cocina Latina by Maricel Presilla (W W Norton & Company, 2012) – Washington Post