JUNE/JULY 2019 • COOK’S COUNTRY 21Illu
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Our secret? Toast the
rice, and then cook it in a
combination of bean
liquid and chicken broth.Black
Beans
and
Rice
The goal: a quicker
route to ultimate
comfort. by Natalie Estrada
CUBAN-STYLE BLACK BEANS
and rice are a common side dish in
Miami. But it can take days to make,
from softening and cooking the beans to
building the layers of fl avor that charac-
terize the dish. I wanted a simpler way.
Many versions of beans and rice are
built on sofrito, a fragrant, fl avorful base
of vegetables and herbs. So that’s where
I started. In many kitchens, green bell
peppers, sweet red ají peppers, and
onions make the base for a sofrito. Un-
fortunately, ají peppers are not widely
available, but a side-by-side test showed
that my tasters liked a sofrito made with
only bell peppers just as much here.
Instead of pureeing the mixture, as
many sofrito recipes call for, I opted to
dice the vegetables and cook them in
a nonstick skillet until they just started
to brown. I then added garlic, potent
oregano, and cumin for warmth.
Traditionally, the rice is cooked in
the pot liquor left over from precook-
ing the dried beans, giving it an inky
hue and a bit of earthy fl avor. Since I
was using canned beans, I reserved their
liquid after straining them and bolstered
it with enough chicken broth to cook
the rice. It was a perfect stand-in for the
pot liquor.
For the rice, I started by rinsing away
its exterior starch so it would cook up
fl uff y. After cooking the sofrito andsetting it aside, I toasted the rinsed rice
in the skillet for a few minutes to unlock
its nutty fl avor. I added the sofrito,
along with the beans and liquid, to
the toasted rice and covered the skillet.
After about 20 minutes, I had lovely rice
and beans that had stayed intact.
Cuban-style beans and rice often
includes salt pork, a commonly available
but frequently overlooked ingredient.
Nestling a few cubes of it into the rice
just before adding the liquid allowed it
to render its fat, delivering porky fl avor
and silky texture throughout.
As labor-intensive as the original?
Not even close. But every bit as com-
forting and fl avorful? You bet.BLACK BEANS AND RICE
Serves 4 to 6
If you can’t fi nd salt pork, you can sub-
stitute two slices of bacon; the dish will
have a smokier fl avor. Rinse the rice
in a fi ne-mesh strainer under running
water until the water runs almost clear,
about 1½ minutes, stirring the rice a
few times with your hand.1 (15-ounce) can black beans
2¼ cups chicken broth, plus extra as
needed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
¾ cup fi nely chopped onion
¾ cup fi nely chopped green bell pepper
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced1 teaspoon dried oregano
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
1½ cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
4 ounces salt pork, cut into 4 pieces
1 bay leaf- Place beans in fi ne-mesh strainer set
over 4-cup liquid measuring cup and
let drain for 5 minutes; reserve bean
liquid. Add enough broth to bean liquid
to equal 2½ cups and stir to combine.
Set aside beans and broth mixture. - Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch
nonstick skillet over medium-high
heat until shimmering. Add onion,
bell pepper, salt, and pepper and cook
until vegetables are softened and just
beginning to brown, about 6 minutes.
Stir in garlic, oregano, and cumin and
cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Transfer vegetable mixture to bowl;
set aside. - Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in
now-empty skillet over medium-high
heat. Add rice and cook, stirring
frequently, until edges begin to turn
translucent and rice is fragrant, about
2 minutes. Stir in salt pork, bay leaf,
beans, broth mixture, and vegetable
mixture and bring to boil (submerge
salt pork as best you can). Cover,
reduce heat to low, and cook, without
stirring, for 20 minutes. - Let stand, covered, off heat for
10 minutes. Discard salt pork and bay
leaf. Gently fl uff rice with fork. Season
with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
1 pound poblano chiles, stemmed,
halved, and seeded
4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless
chicken breasts, trimmed
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon table salt, divided
2 tablespoons vegetable oil,
divided
3 onions, halved and sliced 1⁄4 inch
thick (3 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Mexican crema
2 tablespoons chopped fresh
cilantro
2 teaspoons lime juice- Adjust oven rack 6 inches from
broiler element and heat broiler.
Arrange poblanos skin side up on
aluminum foil–lined rimmed bak-
ing sheet. Broil until skins are well
charred, 6 to 8 minutes, rotating
sheet halfway through broiling.
Transfer poblanos to bowl, cover
with plastic wrap, and let steam
for 5 minutes. Using spoon, scrape
charred skin from poblanos (do not
rinse to remove skin). Slice peppers
into ¼-inch-thick strips; set aside. - Pat chicken dry with paper towels
and sprinkle all over with pepper and
½ teaspoon salt. Heat 1 tablespoon
oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over
medium-high heat until shimmering.
Add chicken and cook until browned
on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes per
side. Transfer chicken to plate. - Reduce heat to medium. Add
remaining 1 tablespoon oil, onions,
and ¼ teaspoon salt to now-empty
skillet and cook, stirring occasionally,
until onions are lightly browned
and beginning to soften, about
5 minutes. Add garlic, poblanos,
and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and
cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add crema and bring to boil. Nestle
chicken into poblano mixture. Re-
duce heat to medium-low, cover,
and cook until chicken registers
160 degrees, 10 to 12 minutes. - Transfer chicken to carving
board, tent with aluminum foil,
and let rest for 5 minutes. Return
skillet to medium heat and cook
until spatula leaves distinct trail
when dragged through pepper mix-
ture, 2 to 4 minutes. Off heat, stir
in cilantro and lime juice. Season
with salt and pepper to taste. Slice
chicken and serve with rajas.
Add Salt Pork for Depth
This meaty, salty cured pork infuses the
beans and rice with savory fl avor.