Rice with Black Beans (Arroz con Frijoles Negros)
Cuban black beans and rice is a pot of slow-simmered beans ladled over plain, fluffy rice. The beans get their body from a trick worth copying: a cup of cooked beans is blended and stirred back in, thickening the pot without flour. A sofrito of onion, garlic and green pepper, plus a splash of vinegar and wine, gives depth. It needs no meat, so it works as a vegan main.
Instructions
The night before cooking, rinse the beans and put them in a large pot with 10 cups of water and the halved green pepper. Leave them to soak overnight.
The next day, cook the beans in their soaking water at a low boil, stirring now and then, for about an hour, until they have softened.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the chopped onion, garlic and chopped green pepper for 5 to 10 minutes, until soft. This mixture is the sofrito.
Scoop a cup of the soft beans with some of their liquid into a blender and puree until smooth. Stir the puree into the sofrito, then tip the whole pan into the big pot of beans. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, bay leaf and sugar.
Boil for about another hour, stirring occasionally, then add the vinegar and wine. Keep boiling for about another hour, until the beans thicken. If they stay too watery, simply boil them longer.
Stir in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and serve the beans.
For the rice, combine the rice, 4½ cups of water and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes.
Once the water has evaporated, fluff the rice with a fork and serve it with the beans. Leftover beans keep about a week in the refrigerator and freeze well.
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