Pois Et Riz Collees (Beans and Rice, Haitian National Dish)

Ingredients

1 cup dry red kidney beans (I prefer the smaller dark red beans, but you can also use

10 cups water

2 tablespoons olive oil

Boil the beans in 10 cups water, until tender, but still firm, not mushy.

Remove the beans, saving the water.

Fry the beans in the oil; season liberally, to taste, with Lawry's salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Add 2 cups raw Uncle Ben's long grain rice to the reserved cooking water, adding additional water to total 4 1/4 cups;

Add the beans, and bring to boiling.

Cover tightly and cook over low heat until all the water is absorbed, about 1 hour.

For gratin (crusty rice on the bottom of the pot), lower heat and cook ten minutes longer.

Dish out the cooked rice and beans into a serving bowl.

Scrape the crisped gratin from the bottom of the pot and serve over the rice and beans.

Recipe can easily be doubled for a crowd. You can also increase the amount of beans in proportion to the rice, if you wish.

8.0

Sunday, May 15, 2011 - 2:23am

Batya