Black Beans and Rice

This blog is really a response to a blog that was created by my friend Angie, by my suggestion.

Angie and I lived together for a year in a gorgeous, ground-floor apartment in the Loop, in St Louis. We shared cooking responsiblities pretty often, and picked up little tips and tricks from each other. We threw little dinner parties, and pigged out on the couch by ourselves too. Food was at the center of a lot of the good times in our apartment.

Today, I'm still living in the Loop, with my wonderful boyfriend, but Angie has moved on to Charlotte, North Carolina. The new arrangment has seriously reduced our chances of sharing a kitchen. However, the wonders of the Internet allow us to send our recipes and thoughts back and forth, all from the safety and comfort of our own little homes. And so, we blog.

I'm from the Caribbean, so beans and rice, or peas and rice, for us are the basic beginnings of a meal. So, I also make them the place to begin my blog.

At home, nearly every meal is served with rice, and there's usually some kind of legume as well. Typically, in Trinidad, the beans are cooked separately from the rice and then poured over the rice for eating. Except pigeon peas! For some reason these can be cooked separately, or in a pelau (browned chicken, beef, peas and rice) or just peas and rice.

But when a Trinidadian only has black beans and don't feel like washing too many dishes, she gives in to Cuba and throws everything in one pot.

1 small onion (diced)
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes and green chiles
2 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes
vegetable or canola oil
2-3 oz of salt pork/ pigtail (optional)
1 can black beans
1 cup white rice
salt to taste

Get out a medium size pot and put it on a medium flame. Pour a bit of the cooking oil into the pot and let it heat up a bit. Then, throw in the onion, garlic, bay leaves and red pepper, and cook until onion is soft. Add the salt pork and give a quick stir.

Add the can of Ro-tel tomatoes, with most of the juices in the can, and bring to a simmer. Once the contents of the pot are again heated through, throw in the black beans, only somewhat drained and not rinsed. Let the pot come to a boil again.

Now, add the rice, and 3/4 to 1 cup of water, depending on how much liquid you've already got working. Simmer, covered, at a low heat, for 20- 25 minutes.

For a complete meal, serve with grilled chicken, and/or fried plantains.