Cuban Style Red Beans And Rice Congri Traditional Recipes

CUBAN BEANS AND RICE

Steps:

• Place the beans in a large pot and cover with water by at least 3 inches (8 cm). Slide the pot in the refrigerator and let soak for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Drain the beans and return them to the pot. Add enough fresh cold water to cover the beans by about 1 inch (2.5 cm), toss in the bay leaves, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer until the beans are just tender, which can take anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes, depending on the age of your beans. Add the salt and continue to cook for 15 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, sauté the bacon until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, move the bacon to a stack of paper towels placed on a plate.
• Add the onion and pepper to the pan and cook in the bacon fat until the vegetables soften, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook, stirring, just until the garlic softens and the spice is fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Dump in the rice and stir constantly for a couple minutes to completely coat the rice with the bacon drippings. Then pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pan, and cook until the liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.
• When the beans are done, drain them, reserving at least 1/2 cup of the bean cooking liquid. Stir the beans into the pan containing the rice and continue cooking over medium-low heat until the rice is tender, 5 to 15 minutes more. If you need more liquid to fully cook the rice, use the reserved bean cooking liquid. Taste and adjust the seasoning to taste with salt. Stir in the bacon and serve the beans and rice immediately. Originally published April 17, 2017.

CONGRI RECIPE

Steps:

• In a pressure cooker, add half a pound of beans, 7 cups of water, two tablespoons of olive oil and one teaspoon of cumin. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
• Once done, strain the beans from the liquid and set both aside. (The beans shouldn't be fully cooked, they will finish cooking once added to the rice. The black water, will give the rice its color)
• Cut six bacon strips into one inch slices and add to a pot over medium heat. Cook for about 8 minutes, until they're crispy.
• While the bacon is cooking, dice your onions, green peppers, and garlic to make your sofrito. Once the bacon is done, remove the bacon and set aside. Increase the heat to medium-high. Using the oil left over from the bacon, add your sofrito and cook for 3-5 minutes.
• Once your sofrito is done, add your washed parboiled rice and two tablespoons of olive oil. Stir the rice into the sofrito and allow it to absorb the oil and sofrito juices. This takes about 2-3 minutes, and you will notice that the rice will start to slightly clump up.
• Add five cups of the water that was drained from the pressure cooker to the rice. Add the strained black beans.
• Now add your salt, black pepper, cumin, oregano, and bay leaves. Stir and bring to a boil.
• Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and allow it to cook until all the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. You may stir the rice a few times to prevent it from sticking on the bottom.
• Once all the water is absorbed, add your bacon back in, stir and serve. Enjoy!

ARROZ CONGRí

Steps:

• Wash the soaked beans.
• Add them into a pressure cooker and cover generously with water.
• Lock the pressure cooker and cook the beans under pressure for 30 minutes.
• Wash the beans and soak them in water the night before or for a few hours before cooking.
• Take 2 large ladles of cooked beans and 2 large ladles of the cooking water.
• Heat the olive oil or lard in a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the diced pork and fry them until they release their fat and are golden.
• Remove the pieces of meat and, in the hot fat, add the sliced ​​onions, garlic, cilantro, ajis cachuchas (sweet Cuban peppers), and dry seasonings.
• Stir everything and add the kidney beans. Brown together with the rest of the ingredients for a few minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add the rice and mix it with all the other ingredients until the grains of rice start to absorb the flavors.
• Then cover everything with the reserved cooking water for the beans.
• Cover and cook over low to medium heat until the rice softens and absorbs all the water. Uncover and stir with a fork to separate the grains and prevent them from settling as they cool.
• Serve the arroz congrí hot, sprinkled with fried pork when ready to serve.

CUBAN-STYLE RED BEANS AND RICE - CONGRI TRADITIONAL

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crsip.
• Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan, crumble bacon, and set aside on paper towel to drain.
• Add oil to pan.
• Add onion and bell pepper; sauté over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until onion is tender.
• Add garlic; sauté 1 minute or just until garlic begins to brown.
• Add tomato paste; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Add rice, oregano, cumin, salt, and black pepper; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Place reserved bacon and bay leaf in pan; stir in 6 cans of broth and bring to a boil.
• Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
• Remove from heat; discard bay leaf.
• Stir in remaining can of broth and beans.
• Cook 5 minutes over low heat or until heated through, stirring frquently, but carefully.
• Garnish with green onions, if desired or/and parsley, if desired.

CUBAN-STYLE ARROZ CONGRí

Steps:

• Rinse the beans and pick them over for any small stones. Put the beans and 8 cups water in a medium-size pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer, partly cover and cook until tender, about 1 to 2 hours. (Time will vary depending on the bean.)
• Meanwhile, make the sofrito: Put the oil in a medium-size pot (large enough to hold the rice as well) over medium heat. When it's hot, add the onion, green pepper and garlic. Add a pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper. Sauté until the vegetables are limp. Stir in the oregano, dill and bay leaves and remove from heat.
• Drain the beans, reserving the broth and being careful to not break the beans. In a large measuring cup, add the vinegar and wine, 1 cup of the reserved bean broth and enough water for all the liquid to measure 2 1/4 cups.
• Put the sofrito back on medium heat, add the rice and stir to combine. Cook the rice for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the seasoned bean broth/water mixture and the salt. Bring to a boil, stir, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 17 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork and return cover to pot for 10 minutes.
• Remove bay leaves and put rice mixture into a mixing bowl. Gently mix in the beans, being careful not to break them. Season well with salt and pepper and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve hot.

CUBAN-STYLE RED BEANS AND RICE

Steps:

• For beans:
• Soak kidney beans in large bowl with enough cold water to cover by 3 inches, at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain. Place 2 quarts water, beans and next 5 ingredients in large pot. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer until beans are tender, stirring occasionally, about 50 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Drain, reserving beans and bean cooking liquid separately. Discard vegetables and cilantro.
• For rice:
• Bring 3 cups bean cooking liquid to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Add rice; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Uncover; fluff with fork.
• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, cumin and oregano and sauté until onions are beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in beans and rice; cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.