black beans + rice, cuban-style.

If it ain’t served with black beans and rice, it ain’t Cuban.

I’ll admit that I’ve never been a huge fan of rice. I do love brown rice, but white rice doesn’t usually do it for me. This recipe, however, changed my mind.

It’s perfectly seasoned, and so full of flavor. I think one of the reasons I’m not typically into rice is that it tends to be bland and boring, and that’s definitely not the case here. This dish gets some TLC, for sure, and yes – dried beans take more time, but they also add more flavor, and it’s totally worth the time it takes to get you there in the end.

I think this is a fairly authentic recipe, but feel free to let me know if you think anything otherwise

The recipe produces a lot of food, so beware. I had a giant vat of it in front of me, and I couldn’t help myself from taking bite after bite after bite. The olive oil added just before serving makes it so luscious and, for me, is a necessary component. A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, an extra sprinkling of salt… Yum.

Black Beans and Rice

Adapted from Three Guys from Miami

• 2 cups black beans, dried
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 green peppers, seeded and diced
• 10 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 3 cups long grain white rice

Cover dry beans with about 4 cups water in a 2-quart saucepan.  Bring to a boil, and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, cover the pan and let it stand for about an hour. Drain and rinse the beans. Place beans back into the pan and add enough water to cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover and cook until tender, about 40 to 50 minutes. Drain. Rinse the rice with cold water until the water runs clear. Set aside.

Add olive oil to a large stockpot and sauté the onion and green pepper over medium heat until soft. Add garlic, and sauté another minute or two. Add the cumin, cayenne, oregano, bay leaves, vinegar, tomato paste, and black beans. Cook for about five minutes, stirring gently.

Add the chicken stock and the rinsed rice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 20-30 minutes – or until the rice is fully cooked. Adjust the seasonings by adding salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves.

Drizzle olive oil over the rice in the pot, and fluff gently with a fork. If plating the rice as a side dish, drizzle a little olive oil over individual servings and garnish with some parsley or cilantro.

Serves 8.