Recession Approved Black Beans and Yellow Rice

Alright so I know this seems basic and maybe a little time consuming but lets put it this way maybe this is an entry for those of you who are short on Cash and HUNGRY for some good eats that will last! And although the canned stuff is still pretty good, why not make it yourself… you are the master chef! If you want to put sprigs of provencial herbs in your meals so be it you King of the Kitchen, you! Okay so here’s what you need …. It’s a pretty simple Brandy version but then again most beans are simple cooking ;-)

Some form of Salt Pork/ Or chunk of Ham

Black Beans (dried, like in the bag)

Spices: Kosher salt, Pepper, Thyme, Bay Leaf, Cilantro, etc (really whatever you feel like)

Onion (I prefer white – general rule of thumb, one onion per pound of dried beans)

Garlic (half a whole clove – ditto as above, more if you like)

Chili Peppers – Try and find a Hot scale (they have one at Dekalb Farmer’s Market) I chose Thai Peppers but that’s because I like my mouth on fire… they are 10 out of 10 on the scale and I used 4 tiny ones and let me tell you there is a definite KICK

Tomato

Chicken or Veggie Stock

Long Grain Rice (or your preference)

Annatto Seed (ground or whole)

Olive Oil

Since I am poor and hungry quite often and still a meet lover I will usually flavor my food with meats to get that bite, flavoring, or filling meatiness without stubbing the toes of my wallet! Often with beans or soup my choice is PORK! Ah yes the almighty PIG you are delicious and I love to eat you. (Sorry Piglet, or Petunia, or Porky the pig whatever your names are… you taste soooo good). I like to find salt pork or the closest thing to it. Publix has a pretty good brand called Bear Creek, you can find it next to the bacon or meat section. Make sure to get the hunk and not the cubed or sliced version if you like the fall apart chewy pieces like me.

First you want to get your hunk of meat boiling. I’d say it needs to steady cook for at least 2 hours, and since in this case black beans take only about an hour before they are edible you can start boiling your salt pork in a pot of water before hand and get all your other ingredients chopped and spices ready to go. (note: you can cook beans as long as you like, the longer you cook them the creamier they get but you have to make sure your pot stays hydrated because if they scorch the whole pot is ruined…ever wonder how it feels to scorch a pot of beans after you so lovingly cooked them for hours? My advice is just don’t find out.)

Rinse your beans to make sure there’s no dirt or rocks going into the pot, Chop up all your veggies “seasoning” in the meantime and if you’re using chilies make sure you wear gloves or protect your fingers because if you do it with your bare hands, forget, and then touch your eye you will rue the day you were born sometimes even after washing your hands, the heat permeates the skin.

After the pork boils for about 45 minutes to an hour --(another side note: if you are cooking a bean that takes longer to soften you are welcome to chuck it all in the pot at once)—put your beans in the pot, make sure there is enough water to cover the beans by at least an inch, and throw in your “seasoning”- garlic, onion, chilies, tomato (for me this ingredient is usually specific to black beans but that’s just me), and whatever else you like.

Next for your spices and this part is pretty broad, you are welcome to make things to your taste of course but the musts are salt and pepper (be careful with the salt if you are using salt pork because it is salty and even after you finish cooking your beans they may even be saltier the next day. I like to start with a once over with the salt, shaking to cover the surface area of the top of the open pot. Other must have items are a little bit! of thyme and at least 2 bay leaves to throw in whole so that you can remove them later.

The rest is waiting and making sure your beans stay hydrated. You want to bring them to a boil at first with all your “seasonings” and spices but then you have to turn your pot to LOW or just before Low (maybe a “4” setting on numbered dials) – this should produce a low rolling simmer. Make sure to give a good stir and check the water level every half an hour. The longer you cook your beans the creamier they will get (delicious) and the more closely you’ll have to watch them to make sure they don’t stick to the bottom and burn. After about two hours (total cook time) your pork is done, you can remove the chunk, get rid of the fat to find the meat bits and separate them with a fork to distribute bites of pork throughout your beans mmm. them

For the Yellow Rice!

Just FYI there is an amazing recipe in one of my cookbooks for yellow rice; a book called “Daisy Cooks” by Daisy Martinez (she’s now featured a little on The Food Network yaaay). This takes a little prep work, you can make “alcaparrado” – olive and caper mixture, and her “sofrito” – peppers, onion, garlic etc, ahead of time and freeze it in portions so that you can just thaw and make dishes quickly and talk about adding YUM…

So anyway the color comes from Annatto seed. You just need a little bit of ground annatto seed and olive or veggie oil. Because I lacked the time and ran out of sofrito the week before I just decided to simply color my rice instead.

Heat the oil in the pan and add the ground annatto seed, you don’t need much maybe a small pinch or two. (You can also use whole seeds but you have to make sure it doesn’t burn or it will turn colors and get bitter; remove and discard them while keeping the oil.) I also had some cilantro in the freezer so I just broke some out and threw some in the pot with the rice. When your oil turns a reddish color add in the rice and let it sizzle slightly, coating the grains. (after that would be when you’d add a little salt and the cilantro, alcaparrado, sofrito, or extra spices.) Add chicken, veggie stock, or water and cook like you would regular rice.

This meal is cheap mostly because you have many of these things already in your cabinet… the pork is around $2.50 for the chunk and you can get a pound of beans for under $1.50 ... If you’re feeling festive grab some tortillas, cheese, sour cream, and extra tomato or salsa for a good time… a pound of beans will last a normal family of 4 for about 2 nights and me a whole 7 days or more. You can also freeze in portions and thaw later… ENJOY!