MY CARRIBEAN RICE 'N BEANS (Moros y Cristianos)

I was born and raised in Puerto Rico (during the Punic Wars) and I had rice 'n beans every day of my life. It's the food I eat when I'm not feeling well...my "Chicken Soup." Now, the vegetarian mavens tell me that it is good for me: lotsa fibre, plus it's the perfect vegetable protein. And with the craze for South American and Caribbean food, it is currently, amazingly enough, very chique. In fact, of all the things that I cook, it is the dish most often requested.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large onions, peeled and chopped.
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
• 1 green pepper, chopped.
• 1/4 cup vinegar 10 cloves of garlic (or more)
• 1 large can tomatoes (or stewed tomatoes)
• 2 large cans black beans or kidney beans

• 1 cup of rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 small can peas
• 2 tablespoons chopped red pimento

• 4 green bananas 4 navel oranges
• 1 large bermuda onion.
• Toabasco Sauce

PROCEDURE

In a large cast-iron skillet, fry the onions in oil until golden. Add the green pepper and continue cooking for another 3 minutes. Pour in the vinegar and let the liquid reduce by 2/3. Add the tomatoes, beans and crushed garlic. I add the garlic last to keep it as pungent as possible. Let simmer gently for about an hour.

(A word about the beans. You can start with dried ones and do that "overnight" thing, but beans are trickier to cook than most people realize, so why not let the experts handle it and buy the canned ones.)

Peel and slice the Bermuda onion into 1/4 inch sections, and cut each section in half. Place them in a small serving dish. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over them and let stand for 5 minutes, then drain. Add 1/4 cup vinegar and 10 drops of Tabasco. Refrigerate for later use as a condiment.

Using a very sharp knife, peel the oranges removing even the white portion. Then separate each section from its membrane, and reserve in a small dish.

15 minutes before serving, rinse the rice in cold water, then add to 2 cups of boiling salted water, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until done. (A friend boils the rice in water for 5 minutes and then drains and rinses it, and returns it to the pot with just a scant 1/2 inch of water on top and simmers it for 10 more minutes. Very fluffy, I'm told.)

While rice is cooking, slice the bananas in thirds on a slant crosswise and dredge in seasoned flour. Fry the pieces on high heat three at a time in 2 tablespoons oil until browned but not mushy. Salt and place on a small serving dish.

Add the canned peas and the pimento to the cooked rice, and form into a ring on a large dish. Pour the beans into the resulting well, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley and serve along with the fried bananas, fresh orange sections and spicy onions. Then shout "La comida esta lista." to your guests. (Dinner’s ready!)

© Bruce Gray 1999