Hello everyone! Following one of the topics of this engagement, I come to tell you about my eating situation on weekends.
I confess that I would love to eat out every weekend. Ordering take-out or something to go would also be ideal, but....I can't do it. Unfortunately my health doesn't allow it. So in order to have more free time and use it for other things, I dedicate my Friday afternoons to cooking.😁
The idea is to have food available on the weekend. I don't make just one recipe because it would be too boring. But there is one that can not miss. The "congrí", "moors and christians" or simply "moorish rice".😋
The name varies according to the region of the country and depends on the type of bean used, black or "colorados".😆
At first glance it would seem to be the same thing, but believe me, the flavor varies considerably.😉
This is a recipe of traditional Cuban cuisine, delicious and versatile. It can accompany almost any main dish.
Combined with pork, I dare to say that it is one of the most appreciated dishes on the island. In fact, the celebration of any date here takes without a doubt a good dish of congrí, yucca with mojo and pork in any of its variants.
For me, accompanied by a fried egg and fried ripe plantains is a perfect and delicious combination.🥰😋
When I read the initiative post my congrí was already finished, so unfortunately I have no pictures of the process to show. I will try to explain clearly how I did it.
Ingredients and Preparation
I made it with black beans. We measured 2 cups, washed them and put them in a pressure cooker. We add enough water to cook them and not waste it (we need broth left).
Cook until the beans are soft but not too soft. When they are ready we measure the broth that was available (it is important to know the amount of rice that we are going to need). The measurement is done excluding the grains, only for this step, because obviously we will add them later.
We prepare the seasonings. We will need some spoonfuls of oil, it can be olive oil or other (I prefer to use pork lard), 5 or 6 big crushed garlic cloves, a medium onion cut in squares, chili bell pepper. I use several units of "ají cachucha""(this is how it is called in Cuba). This gives a peculiar and tasty flavor to the preparation.
In a frying pan put the oil or butter to heat and add the seasonings, fry until golden brown.
Measure the rice taking a cup less than the amount of broth available, wash it well and mix everything preferably in a rice cooker, I also add a splash of vinegar, a spoonful of raw sugar, oregano, cumin and salt to taste.
Using a rice cooker makes cooking easier, but it can be done in a pot or casserole on the stove, controlling the heat intensity.
Just wait until it is ready and eat it as a garnish for anything you like.
I hope that if you have never eaten it, you will decide to do it.
If you have any doubts, don't hesitate to ask. My recipe may not be clearly understood. 🤭
Happy weekend...good "Congrí"!
The images and text are my own. I used DeepL for their translation because Spanish is my native language.