Staples

Throughout the Latin American world, two foods make up a majority of meals: rice and beans. I've eaten them together dozens of times in restaurants, in burritos, even in some soups, but I never, not once, ever made a dish of rice and beans from scratch. It would have been too easy to use boil in bag instant rice and a can of beans, so I went for dried beans and regular white rice in a bag.

I learned two important lessons last night. One, the rice should not be cooked in the sticky Asian style. Two, the beans should be cooked with the seasonings, not boiled separately. I know this because I ended up with insipid beans on a lovely bed of starchy, sticky Goya rice. The next time I cook rice and beans, it will go a little something like this:

Rice and Beans

1 1/2 c black or pinto beans, soaked in cold water for about 6 hours and drained
1 1/2 c white rice
a large cauldron of boiling salted water with 1 T olive oil
2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, coursely diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste

Add the rice to the boiling water and cook until tender, about ten minutes. Drain and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook to soften a little. Add the pepper and toss around until it softens as well. Toss in the garlic and cook another minute until the garlic is nice and fragrant. Add the drained beans and enough water to cover about halfway. Simmer and stir occasionally until the beans are tender, about 20 minutes, and check the seasoning. Spoon the beans over the rice in a bowl. Serves 4.