Moros y Cristianos (Moros y Cristianos) — Cuban Black Beans and Rice

• 300 gdried black beans
• 1.5 lcold water for soaking
• 1.8 lcold water for cooking
• 1 leafbay leaf
• 1green bell pepper (halved, seeds removed)
• 3 tbspolive oil
• 1yellow onion (finely diced)
• 5 clovegarlic (minced)
• 1.5 tspground cumin
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 300 glong-grain white rice (rinsed until the water runs mostly clear and drained for 10 minutes)
• 600 mlreserved black bean cooking liquid (from the cooked beans; add water only if needed to reach this amount)
• 10 gfine sea salt
• 0.5 tspfreshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbspwhite vinegar

Instructions

1. 1

   Rinse the dried black beans under cool running water and pick out any small stones or damaged beans. Put the beans in a bowl with 1.5 l cold water and soak them for 8 to 12 hours at room temperature, then drain and rinse them well.

2. 2

   Transfer the soaked beans to a heavy pot and add 1.8 l cold water, the bay leaf, and the halved green bell pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, and cook uncovered for 50 to 70 minutes, until the beans are tender but still intact.

3. 3

   Measure out exactly 600 ml of the dark bean cooking liquid and reserve it for the rice. Drain the beans, discard the bay leaf and halved pepper, and keep all of the cooked beans ready for the moros y cristianos.

4. 4

   Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and diced green bell pepper and cook for 8 minutes, stirring often, until the sofrito is soft, glossy, and aromatic but not browned.

5. 5

   Stir in the minced garlic, ground cumin, and dried oregano, and cook for 1 minute so the spices bloom in the oil. Add the rinsed and drained rice and stir for 2 minutes, coating every grain with the sofrito.

6. 6

   Add the cooked black beans, the 600 ml reserved black bean cooking liquid, the fine sea salt, and the black pepper. Stir once thoroughly, bring the pot to a steady boil, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cover with a tight-fitting lid.

7. 7

   Cook the rice and beans for 18 minutes without lifting the lid. Turn off the heat and let the covered pot stand for 10 minutes so the grains finish steaming and the black bean color settles evenly through the rice.

8. 8

   Uncover the pot, drizzle the white vinegar over the rice, and fluff gently with a fork from the edges toward the center. Rest for 5 minutes before serving so the grains separate cleanly and the sofrito flavor comes forward.