Moros Recipes

MOROS Y CRISTIANOS (CUBAN BLACK BEANS AND RICE)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic; cook and stir until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes and vinegar. Add cumin, salt, thyme, pepper flakes, and bay leaf. Cook for 3 minutes.
• Add black beans, then stir in white rice. Pour in chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until rice is tender and all liquid has been absorbed, about 25 minutes; do not lift the cover during the cook time.

MORO (BLACK BEAN AND WHITE RICE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook black beans in water with bay leaves, oregano and salt until done, approximately 1 hour. Strain and keep the liquid. Heat lard in a medium sized saute pan over medium heat and cook bacon until it begins to render fat. Add chorizo, ham, onions, peppers, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, then add cumin. Next add cooked beans, rice, and reserved bean liquid. Cover with a banana leaf and place in oven. Cook for approximately 20 minutes or until rice is done and all the liquid is incorporated.;

MOROS

Steps:

• Place the beans and 7 1/2 cups of the water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, or until tender and creamy in centers. Crush the beans in their liquid with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon.
• Place the rice in a large bowl (not a colander) and rinse under cold running water for 5 minutes. Drain. Pour the remaining 3 cups of water into a medium saucepan, add the butter and bring to a boil. Stir in the rice, salt and pepper and bring back to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
• Mix the rice with the beans and heat through, if necessary, to serve warm.

CUBAN-STYLE CRISTIANOS Y MOROS (CONGRI)

Steps:

• Soak the beans for at least 4 hours.
• In a large stock pot add the drained beans, the onion, 4 garlic cloves, bay leaves, 1/2 bell pepper, cumin and oregano. Bring to a boil and skim off foam.
• Reduce the heat, cover and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, for one hour or until beans are tender. Add water to keep the beans from drying out. Remove the onion, garlic, bay leaves, and bell pepper and discard.
• SOFRITO: Brown the bacon in a frying pan over medium heat. Drain the bacon. Pour off the fat from the pan except for 1 teaspoon.
• Add olive oil and remaining sofrito ingredients, cooking over medium heat until just beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir the sofrito into the beans, along with the SEASONINGS. Continue simmmering until beans are very soft, about 20 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste before serving. Serve with hot cooked white rice.

MOROS Y CRISTIANOS

Steps:

• Use a large, eight-quart covered stockpot. Heat the olive oil over low-medium heat, then add the onion and garlic pepper and keep stirring them until they are tender. Add garlic and fry another minute or two. Add the tomato paste, black beans, oregano, cumin, bay leaf and vinegar. Cook for about five minutes, stirring gently.
• Add the chicken stock and rinsed rice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook about 20 to 30 minutes, or until rice is fully cooked.
• Finally, add salt and pepper until it tastes just right. Remove the bay leaf, serve hot.