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Black Beans and Rice, Spanish Style

According to Carolyn, who studied abroad in Spain, the Spanish name for this dish is: moros y cristianos. I studied in Hong Kong, so I am going to trust her on this. A little bit of googling seems to back up story.

This is a great dish to make on Sunday, because you end up with a weeks worth of lunches. All by itself it is a pretty hearty meal, but if you top it with a little chorizo, a fried egg, or a thin cut fried steak… you now have a feast.

It is nothing like the watery, dull black beans and rice you may have had before. The trick is cooking the dried beans with sautéed onions, peppers and a healthy amount of herbs. Once the beans begin to soften, you puree half them, giving you a nice, thick sauce. Add in some smoked paprika if you want to add a little extra Spanish flair!

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Black Beans And White Rice, Spanish Style

This is one of the best rice and bean dishes out these. The Spanish name for it is Moros y Cristianos… which I am sure is politically incorrect, but who cares, it is tasty!

I substitute in brown rice sometimes.

How to Cook Everything

By: Mark Bittman

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 red or yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped (I used frozen pepper strips)
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 3/4 cup dried black beans, washed, picked over and soaked if you have time
  • 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
  • 1 cup chopped tomato (canned is fined; include the juices)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

  1. Put the oil in a large ovenproof pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low so that the mixture bubbles gently. Cover loosely and cook, stirring occasionally and adding water if necessary, until the beans are about half-done – softening but still tough in the middle – about 40 minutes (an hour or more if you didn’t soak the beans at all). Heat the oven to 350 F.
  2. Use an immersion blender or a potato masher to semupuree the beans in the pot (leave at least half unpureed).
  3. Stir in the rice, tomato and a good amount of salt and pepper. (If you don’t want a crust to develop, cover the pot.) Bake in the oven until the rice and beans are tender, about an hour, adding a little water if needed. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley and serve or store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days (reheat and in a little water and olive oil just before serving).

5 thoughts on “Black Beans and Rice, Spanish Style

  1. I have just made this and it is yummy. Bought these little black beans in Barcelona and didn’t know what to with them. I don’t have smoked paprika so I used paprika. I live in Turkey so it’s hard to get special spices. Think the smoked would really enhance the dish. Thanks for a great recipe

  2. Hi, I am spanish so I can tell you the name is correct, moros y cristianos, means something like musulmans and christians, the beans are the musulmans and the christians are the rice (because of the color).
    I have never seen that recipe cooked in the oven, but I am going to do it, it looks very nice!

  3. We are Cuban and love black beans but never make Moros Y Cristianos. The recipe sounds very good. To make it a lot easier try using a really tasty sofrito and canned black beans we found on the internet about two years ago. The company is http://www.oldhavanafoods.com and as a foodie I was really surprised how much we like the products.

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