Recipe - Black Beans and Rice

Recipe - Black Beans and Rice

I had some black beans I wanted to cook, and read several recipes for Cuban-style black beans, so this recipe is along those lines. As I went along, I did things that made it like Louisiana Red Beans and Rice.

This is not especially diabetic-friendly, though there is a lot of fiber. I don't think I tested after eating, but I didn't have any symptoms suggesting a problem, and I do know I do well on brown rice.

I'm not a food snob. I've only ground whole spices a couple of times, and this is the first time I ever toasted a spice. The result, however, was FABULOUS. This would probably be good with powdered cumin, but starting with the whole spice gave such a fabulous aroma to both my kitchen and the food.

REQUIRED EQUIPMENT:
* spice grinder, coffee grinder (that you don't plan on grinding coffee with again), or mortar & pestle.
* slow cooker, or just a large post if you prefer cooking the beans on the stove
* stick blender, food processor, or blender.

INGREDIENTS:
A teaspoon or so of cumin seeds
One pound black beans, soaked overnight in plenty of water and rinsed
1 qt chicken stock (I used reduced sodium)
One white, yellow, or Vidalia onion, roughly chopped
3 or 4 largish garlic cloves, chopped
Salt
Cooked brown rice or another grain you do pretty well on (optional)

1. Put the cumin seeds in a small, dry frying pan or sauce pan over low-to-medium heat. Toast until the aroma is pretty strong but not burnt. It doesn't take long.(I had to do this twice.)
2. After the seeds have been toasted and cooled, grind them. Do not forget to marvel at the aroma.
3. Put the black beans in the pot or slow cooker with the chicken stock and a couple cups of water.
4. Add the ground cumin, the onion, and the garlic (but not the salt, which some say does weird things to the beans if added at the front end)
5. Cook until the beans are tender, almost mushy. No way to predict how long this will take, but my beans took about four hours in the slow cooker. Check periodically and make sure there's always enough liquid to cover the beans - add more water if needed.
6. When the beans are done, allow them to cool. Important for safety
7. Remove maybe a quarter of the beans and mash them lightly, leaving them pretty chunky. Set aside.
8. Puree the rest until smooth. If you use a food processor or regular blender, step 6 is especially important.
9. Add the lightly mashed beans back into the puree. Add the amount of salt that makes it taste good.

To serve, reheat and put in bowls. Add the rice or other grain in a scoop-like shape in the middle of the bowl.