moors and christians rice (moros y christianos)

moors and christians rice (moros y christianos)

I have always been intrigued by the name of this dish, one of Cuba's traditional recipes - a mixture of black beans and rice.

The Spanish name refers to a time during the Medieval period, when Muslims and Christians lived side-by-side in harmony. Sadly the Inquisition put paid to that but concord lives on in this delicious dish.

Before serving, I drizzled over some of the cooking juices from my Cuban roast chicken. If I hadn't been feeling pretty serene after tasting the chicken with mojo sauce, by the time I got to the rice I was feeling positively tranquil!

Serves 4-6
Skill level: Easy
 
ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 x small red onion, finely chopped
3 x garlic cloves, finely chopped
a mixture of chopped peppers - ½ x red, ½ x green and ½ x yellow or orange
1 tbsp wine vinegar
250g cooked rice
100g cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp fresh parsley and fresh coriander, roughly chopped
 
directions:

1. Gently fry the onion for 5 minutes before adding the garlic and chopped peppers. Continue to cook until the onions have begun to soften - which should take at least 5 minutes, but possibly 10 minutes.
2. Add the vinegar and stir to combine. Cook for about 1 minute.
3. Add the rice and stir well, before adding the beans. Cook slowly, covered, for about 10 minutes.

tips:

• This is best using leftover rice, since it the rice definitely needs time to dry out (preferably overnight in the fridge).
• I cook plain long grain rice but often use chicken or vegetable stock rather than water to add a little extra flavour.
• Add chopped bacon to the cooking onion.