This recipe is easy and makes a ton of food. It takes about three hours to cook, but requires almost no effort during that time. It’s great for burritos, beans and rice, or bean-and-rice casserole (described below). I can’t really take credit for it; it’s a modest adaptation of the Flying Mayan Burrito recipe I found on the Food Network. Basically, it’s beans. From scratch. So it’s much cheaper and more delicious than what you’ll find in a can. Also, it’s so flavorful that you don’t need salsa.
First, the ingredients:
One pound dry black beans
One large onion
Lots of garlic–four or five cloves, or even more
Two teaspoons minced ginger (optional)
One teaspoon cumin
One can diced tomatoes
One half-cup of red wine
Olive oil
Lots of water, salt and pepperFor the casserole:
One half-cup cheddar cheese
One cup hearty brown rice
One teaspoon cumin
One half-cup salsa
Rinse the beans in a pot or large bowl. After you drain the dirty water, refill the pot until the beans are covered with water, and set aside. The beans will start soaking up the water, which will make the cooking process a little quicker. If you have time, you can soak them for several hours.
Chop up the onions and garlic, and mince the ginger. Heat olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven, and add the onions, garlic and ginger when it’s hot. Stir, and add some salt and pepper. When the onions are pretty soft, add the cumin and stir. If you really don’t like ginger, you don’t have to add it, but the flavor softens a lot while it cooks so the beans don’t have a really strong ginger taste.
HINT: If you go to an Indian grocery store, you can find jars of already-minced ginger and garlic. It’s a great shortcut if you want to add garlic or ginger to a recipe but don’t feel like preparing them. And the pre-minced stuff lasts forever.
Add the can of tomatoes, and when it’s simmering, add the beans in water. Then add more water until the beans are barely covered — you might need to add another two cups. As you cook, you can add more water if the beans look too dry, or leave the pot uncovered if you think they’re too soupy. Add another teaspoon or so of salt when you add the beans.
Simmer on medium-low heat for about two hours, checking periodically to make sure there’s enough water in the pot, and to test the salt. Don’t be afraid to add more salt; you’ll probably need to add at least a tablespoon in total, though add it bit by bit to make sure it doesn’t get too salty for your taste. After two hours, add the wine. Simmer for another 30 minutes to an hour, until the alcohol has evaporated and the beans are soft. If you haven’t soaked the beans for very long, it may take a bit longer. Sometimes, if I’m ready for bed and the beans aren’t cooked, I turn off the beans and then cook them for another hour in the morning.
To make the bean and rice casserole, prepare 1 cup hearty brown rice according to the package directions. Don’t buy that wimpy beige rice–go for the really brown stuff. You could probably use regular white rice, but I think good brown rice is more flavorful. Spread a one-inch layer of cooked rice along the bottom of a greased, nine-inch baking dish. Add a thin layer of salsa, and sprinkle one teaspon cumin on top of it. Then add a one-inch layer of beans, and sprinkle some cheese on top. Bake about 20 minutes.
3 Comments
November 10, 2008 at 3:25 pm
I made the Flying Mayan Burritos last night, including the sweet potatoes! Yummy! Thanks for the recommendation.
May 20, 2009 at 12:18 pm
[...] of your freezer. I’m pretty good at freezing—I make a lot of freezer-friendly foods, like beans, beef stew, curry, and pasta sauce, and I always make enough to freeze. But he suggests freezing [...]
July 13, 2009 at 11:44 am
[...] you make this instead of, say, Big Pot O’ Beans, it won’t save you any money. But if you make it instead of going out to Ben & [...]