Bill and I have been to Cuba three times with an organization called First-Hand Aid, and one of our favorite dishes there is Moros y Cristianos (“Moors and Christians”). The name comes from the era in Spain when black Muslims and white Christians lived side-by-side on the Iberian Peninsula. In Cuba it’s also called congri. It’s a simple black bean and rice meal that I also made to accompany a discussion about legumes when I visited Kandu recently.
This recipe is from Food.com and it’s particularly easy to make because it calls for canned black beans instead of dried beans (which need to be soaked and boiled). Even though it lists green bell peppers in its ingredients, I try to find ones that are more red than green—just a personal preference in taste! These came from the Boeve Farm at the Holland Farmers Market.
All you do is saute chopped onions and peppers until tender.
Then add the garlic and saute a few minutes.
Add the spices, beans, and tomato paste and stir.
Then mix in the chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegetarians/vegans) and rice.
After bringing mixture to a boil, simmer on low heat for about half an hour, covered, until rice is cooked.
We enjoyed ours with Grilled Pork Steak and a side salad of Mojo-Style Coleslaw. Don’t forget the lime wedge garnish to kick it up a notch!
