El Congri de Flor

Rinse the beans, picking out any that look fucked up, then put them in a saucepan and cover with at least 3 inches of water. Let these soak overnight or for a few hours to reduce your cooking time. When it’s time to get going, do not change the water. Just turn up the heat to high and throw in the bay leaves. Let this shit come to a boil for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to medium and let the pot simmer until the beans are soft, about an hour and a half. If the pan is starting to look like there’s less than an inch of water above the cooking beans, pour a lil more warm water in. Right before the beans are done add ½ teaspoon of salt to the pot. If you add that shit too soon it can make the beans cook slower or worse, never soften.

When the beans are about done, warm up the oil over a medium-high heat and add the onions to a large pot. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. Add the bell pepper, chipotle peppers, garlic, smoked paprika, oregano, cumin, and salt and cook, stirring often, until everything is soft and your kitchen smells amazing, about 6-9 minutes. Add the wine and use it to scrape off any burnt-on flavor that might have stuck to the bottom of the pot. That’s flavor concentrate, you’re gonna wanna use that. Add the rice and cook it all together for about 1 minute so that the rice gets coated. Now add the beans and their cooking liquid to the pot. You want about 3 cups of liquid in there so if there wasn’t enough bean broth, add more veggie broth to make up the difference.

Bring all this to a boil over medium-high heat, cover, and turn down the heat to maintain a gentle, low simmer. Cook until the water is absorbed, and the rice is tender, about 18 minutes. Don’t peek in the pot while this is going on, just set a timer for 15 minutes and only start checking after it goes off. Taste and season with salt and lime juice to get it however you like.

Just before serving, stir in the cilantro and drizzle with a lil bit of olive oil. Serve warm with extra cilantro on top and lime wedges on the side. This goes great with a simple salad of finely sliced cabbage or romaine lettuce dressed with salt, lemon juice, and olive oil right on the side.