My oldest turned 20 this summer and he asked for Jerk chicken and Caribbean rice. He'd eaten similar dishes at a small restaurant near the college he attends, and thought that would be a cool birthday meal. I agreed and the week before searched out recipes. I cheated on the Jerk chicken and bought seasoning at the store, rubbed it on boneless chicken breasts that my husband grilled. While looking for a rice dish, I came up with many recipes, and it wasn't easy to figure out what was authentic. I went with a simple recipe with ingredients I could find at the grocery store.
The rice recipe isn't really Caribbean, but rather Latin, and one website said it was Cuban, but originated in Spain. This is a shortcut version, using the canned beans. No matter where it's from it was delicious. I also sliced a mango and served it with the chicken and rice.
Rice and Black Beans
Ingredients:
1 15-ounce can black beans (undrained)
1/4 cup Recaito
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups hot cooked white rice
Combine all ingredients, except the white rice, in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Lower heat, and allow to simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or so.
Notes: I was out of cumin and didn't realize it, so I left it out. Yes, that probably made a huge difference but I loved the taste of the beans, and so did everyone else.
I found GOYA Recaito, which is basically what they are calling a "Cilantro cooking base" for rice, beans, soups, chili and stews. I'm going to try it in other dishes.
I used white extra long grain rice, and cooked it according to the directions. When the beans were heated I mixed them into the rice.
~Brenda
