Dinosaur Black Beans & Rice

By alexi57

Serve up these deeply flavored Cuban-style beans with a pile of perfectly cooked white rice. Add a salad or some veggies and you've got the Dinosaur vegetarian platter.

Ingredients

• The Beans:
• 2 cups black beans
• 8 cups water
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 2 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Black pepper
• The Sofrito:
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped green pepper
• Pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper
• 3 large cloves garlic, chopped
• The Finish:
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• Tabasco sauce
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• The Accouterment:
• Perfect rice

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Sort though the beans and pull out any little stones or shriveled beans. Rinse the good beans and toss them into a large saucepan. Add 2 cups of the water, the onions, peppers, garlic, bay leaf, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil. Cover the pan, cracking the lid a bit, and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, adding the remaining water, 1 cup at a time, as it is absorbed by the beans. When they're done, the beans will give off a luscious black "gravy".

Grab a small saucepan for the sofrito, and place it over medium heat. Add the oil. Toss in the onions and peppers, seasoning them with a pinch of salt and pepper. Once they're soft, add the garlic and cook another minute.

Dump the sofrito into the cooked beans. Pull out the bay leaf and finish the dish by stirring in the cumin, oregano, salt, brown sugar, vinegar, Tabasco, and sherry. Serve with a batch of perfect rice.