Dried beans are inexpensive and a convenient choice for economical meals. They also lend themselves well to slow cooking because, unlike on the cooktop, there is no risk of burning during the long simmering period. This meatless entrée reheats well the next day for lunch. Store leftover bean mixture and rice in separate containers in the refrigerator.
This is in NO way, shape, or form Cuban black beans. Being a Cuban from Miami, I have never heard of black beans with fennel (or, to be honest, coriander - although I have heard that oregano can be used, and is used by a small number of Cuban cooks - maybe it's a regional thing), and NEVER, NEVER, NEVER is this dish prepared with chiles or hot sauce. This is one of the biggest problems with recipes that purport to be Cuban - those unfamiliar with Cuban cuisine think it's similar to Mexican. It's not - AT ALL. It's much closer to Spain's cuisine. So, "buyer beware" when looking up Cuban recipes!
It may have been the fact I used canned instead of dry beans (I never have luck with them) but I ended up with bean soup instead of something thick and savory. Also, having had black beans and rice many times, this tasted nothing like an authentic recipe. This one is hitting the recycle bin.
Great recipe that everybody loved - even the picky neighborhood kids! Definitely worth making again!
I'm not sure what kind of Cuban rice and beans this is. "Congri" mixes the beans and the rice, and I've never had Cuban beans and rice with tomatoes in them. The rest of the recipe ingredients are right on, however.
I made the recipe exactly as written, and it tasted pretty bland. Still, it's a solid base recipe that could just stand a few additions: more chiles, rice cooked in vegetable broth, probably more salt, and maybe some tomato paste to make it more tomatoey.
