disable dropcap
For the beans:
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried pinto, red kidney, or small white beans
- 1/2 pound smoked ham hock or any other smoked ham
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 green pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 4 sweet chile peppers such as Serrano or Anaheim, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dry oregano or 1 sprig of fresh oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 cups calabaza pumpkin (or butternut squash), cut into 1-inch cubes
- Soak the beans overnight in 2 quarts of cold water.
- Drain and rinse the beans.
- Place them in a medium-size pot, and cover them with cold water by 2 inches.
- Add the ham hock to the pot and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pot, and let everything simmer for 1 hour.
- While the beans are cooking, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the onion, green pepper, tomato, sweet chile peppers, garlic, cilantro, oregano, salt, and pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After the beans have cooked for 1 hour, add the sautéed mix and the pumpkin to the beans, and let everything cook for 30 minutes more, or until the beans are tender. If the beans are too dry, add a little bit of water or chicken stock.
For the rice:
Ingredients
- 1 pound (2 cups) of short-grain rice
- 4 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
- 3 cups of hot water
- 2 teaspoon salt
- In a heavy casserole over medium-high heat, sauté the rice in the oil for 1 minute.
- Add the water and the salt and combine well. Reduce the heat to medium.
- Let the rice absorb the water without disturbing it, and then stir the rice once from the bottom.
- Put the lid on the casserole, reduce the heat to low, and let the rice cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
