WARNING
: The quantity of ingredients is subject to change without notice according to what's in the chef's drinking glass at the time of preparation 
. To be kind, this recipe is mild enough for anyone to handle. Just provide hot sauce on the side for the pros.CUBAN STYLE BLACK BEANS WITH RICE (a.k.a. MOORS & CHRISTIANS)
(makes about 7 quarts, but everyone wants to take some home anyways)
8 cups (two 32 oz. cartons) Chicken Stock (like Emeril's or Kitchen Basics)
2-3 lbs. smoked ham shanks
(1 cup additional finely cubed ham for meatier dish)
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 to 2 jumbo yellow cooking onions, finely chopped
6 to 8 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced
2 bell peppers (seeded, chopped)
9 (16-ounce) cans Bush's Best black beans, drained
1 10-oz. can Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chili
2 4-oz. jars of pimentos
2 tablespoons lime juice
1-1/3 tablespoons ground cumin
1-1/2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cilantro flakes
2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
4 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (a little goes a long way...if you can recognize this undertone, you used too much)
2 cups Uncle Ben's converted (20-minute) rice
1-1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Optional toppings:
Louisiana-style Hot Sauce (I like to turn up the heat, others don't. Give them the option.)
1 sweet onion, chopped
Sour cream
Sweet Pepper Sauce (see recipe below)
In a heavy 8-quart stockpot, combine chicken stock, smoked ham shanks, and salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for 45-60 minutes. If the ham shanks are not totally submerged, turn them occasionally to cook all sides. They are done simmering when the meat can be easily separated from the bone.
While ham shanks are simmering, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until fragrant. Then sauté the onion and garlic until tender (about 10 minutes). Set aside.
In an electric blender, purée 2 cans of the drained beans (and the can's settled contents after draining off the clear liquid on top of the can) along with the 10 oz. can of Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chili (include the liquid). Set aside.
When the ham shanks are finished simmering, remove them from the broth, and place them on a a cutting board. Reserve 4 cups of the broth to use later in preparing the rice. The remaining broth stays in the stock pot. Remove the meat from the bones (removing and discarding the fat and gristle), dice it and place it back into the stock pot. You may also put the cleaned bones into the mixture, but remember to take them out when all preparation is done.
In the stock pot containing the remaining broth, combine everything except the apple cider vinegar and beans. Checklist: diced ham shanks (and extra ham), sautéed onions and garlic, puréed beans and Ro-Tel, bell peppers, pimentos, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, cilantro, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, smoked paprika, dark brown sugar, molasses, peanut butter and cinnamon.
Heat this mixture to boil and then immediately reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any puréed mixture sticking there (a good non-stick surface makes this problem go away). The resulting base will be done once it has boiled down into a slightly thickened and creamy consistency (like a thin chowder), add the 7 remaining cans of black beans, and continue simmering for ½ hour.
During this last ½ hour, prepare the rice. Bring the reserved 4 cups of broth to a boil in a 2-quart saucepot. Add rice; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer/steam for 20 minutes. Remove saucepot from heat and allow rice to stand covered for at least 5 more minutes (tip: never remove the cover from rice until it is done).
Add the finished rice into the simmering bean mixture. Remove the bay leaves (and bones if you have returned them into the mixture). Finally, remove from heat and stir in the apple cider vinegar.
If you want a soupier consistency, add water. To thicken it instead, remove some solids from the soup, puree them in a blender, and return them to the mixture.
This is better the day after, after all of the flavors have mingled together. It is the smoked ham shank that sets off the distinctive flavor of this dish.
If you want black beans and rice to look and taste fancy, try out this topping:
SWEET PEPPER SAUCE
½ cup olive oil
1-1/2 cups (1 can) tomatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon sugar
½ cup tomato puree
2 cups pimentos, chopped, with liquid from the can
salt to taste
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
In a skillet, heat the olive oil until fragrant. Add tomatoes and cook them until they disintegrate (about 6-8 minutes). Add everything else except for the vinegar. Cook until thickened, stirring occasionally. Add the vinegar after removing the sauce from the heat. Float this sauce on the top of a bowl or plate of black beans and rice.
Edited by spielchekr, 23 December 2006 - 05:01 PM.
