One of the most basic vegetarian dishes is beans and rice. It really gets around: all kinds of beans, all kinds of rice, all kinds of seasonings and regional styles. You’ve got your Hoppin’ John with black-eyed peas, black beans and lightly seasoned white rice accompanying Costa Rican cuisine, Spanish rice and refried pinto beans (usually smothered in melted cheddar cheese, ugh) on any plate of American-style Mexican food… I mean, I can’t begin to claim any preparation of it I’d make is truly revolutionary. It’s beans. And rice. But I can give it my own spin. It’s MoFo!
First there has to be a sauce. A lot of rice dishes are seasoned with tomato sauce, so I’ll start with that: but roasted, for full effect. And I’ve got a couple poblano peppers, which are extra-great roasted. So I tossed some plum tomatoes, seeded poblanos and an onion with a little oil and salt and stick it in a hot oven until things are brown and blistered, then threw it in the blender with garlic to make a nice sauce.
I set aside most of the sauce and blended the little bit left in the blender with water to cook rice, then cooked a batch of brown rice in my clay pot cooker. It smelled SO delicious. Then I let that chill overnight to develop flavor, and everything comes together easily the next day: saute the rest of the sauce with some cumin and chili powder, add the beans, then add the rice, and stir to combine and taste. (It needed a dash of soy sauce.)
Served with marinated shredded cabbage and smoked jalapeno sauerkraut for crunch and tang.
And avocado. Duh.
