Episode 434-Don’t Get Caught W your Panty Down, Cheap flavorful & Filling Meals, Arroz Congri
In this episode, I will be talking about stretching your meals to feed more people using inexpensive ingredients and some protein to make healthy tasty meals. We practice this often at the Snow house especially this summer when we have an extra kid staying with us.
My calculations show it’s possible to feed 6-8 people a very nice meal for under $5 per person, try that at a restaurant!
Today’s dish comes from the Cuban culture, this is Cuban rice n Beans, it’s served at every Cuban restaurant and is a staple of many Latin diets. It’s simple to prepare with humble ingredients and can be on the table in 30 minutes flat. It will also feed a small army!
Havana, Cuba photo credit: Newsweek
In many Latin homes the veg component is fortified with soffrito; a mixture of onions, garlic, oregano, tomato, and Sazon a seasoning by Goya you can find in just about every market. This soffrito mixture is as varied as Latin culture itself, no two cooks use the same soffrito.
Resources for this episode:
Moros y Cristianos-Arroz Congri (Cuban beans & rice)
Ingredients
- 2 cups black beans, cooked reserve the bean liquid (2 cups)
- 2 cups cooked rice, I like Jasmine rice
- 4 slices of bacon, rendered and diced up fat reserved
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 medium white or yellow onion, diced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tbs oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- salt & black pepper to taste
- 1 tbs red or white wine vinegar
- 1 c water
Instructions
- In a large pot w a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat add olive oil and bacon fat with bacon that has been chopped.
- Add onion, garlic, and bell pepper, saute for 5 minutes.
- Add rice, stirring often cook additional 3-5 minutes.
- Add bay leaves, cumin, and oregano, season with salt & pepper.
- Add beans with their juices plus 1 cup of water, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is cooked through.