Moros y Cristianos Veracruzanos

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •4-quart red clay cazuela or heavy-bottomed Dutch oven with tight lid
• •Molcajete or mortar for the garlic-vinegar mojo
• •Fine-mesh strainer for rinsing rice
• •Wooden spoon for frying the rice without breaking the grains

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the beans

   Place the black beans in a large bowl and cover with cold water by three inches. Let them soak overnight. Drain and rinse them the next day. This gives you beans that cook evenly and a cleaner black broth for the rice. The broth is not a by-product here. It is the color of the dish.

2. 2

   Cook the beans

   Put the soaked beans in a heavy pot with 8 cups cold water, the half onion, smashed garlic, epazote, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and cook uncovered until the beans are tender but not broken, about 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt only after the beans have softened, then cook 10 minutes more. Remove the onion, garlic, epazote stems, and bay leaf. Reserve at least 3 cups of the dark cooking liquid and 2 cups of beans for the rice.

3. 3

   Prepare the rice

   Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs mostly clear, then drain it for 20 minutes. Wet rice jumps in hot fat and unrinsed rice turns gluey. In a small bowl, dissolve the achiote paste in 1/4 cup of the warm bean liquid. Achiote clumps if you throw it straight into the pot. Respect the ingredient and it behaves.

4. 4

   Fry the base

   Melt the pork lard in a 4-quart clay cazuela or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until it softens and turns translucent at the edges, about 4 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, slit chile jalapeno, and Mexican oregano. Cook for 1 minute, just until the garlic smells sharp and alive. This is not a chile-forward dish. The jalapeno perfumes the fat. It does not turn the pot into a dare.

5. 5

   Fry the rice

   Add the drained rice to the lard and stir steadily for 4 to 5 minutes. The grains should turn pearly and make a dry, sandy sound against the pot. This frying step is why the grains stay separate after they drink the bean broth. No me vengas con atajos. If you skip it, you get paste.

6. 6

   Add beans and broth

   Stir in the dissolved achiote, the remaining warm bean cooking liquid, 2 cups cooked black beans, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. The liquid should look almost black with a reddish edge from the achiote. Taste it now. It should be slightly saltier than you want the finished rice, because the grains will absorb the seasoning. Bring to a lively simmer.

7. 7

   Cover and cook

   Cover the pot tightly, lower the heat to the lowest setting, and cook for 18 to 20 minutes. Do not stir. Do not lift the lid every five minutes to check your feelings. When the rice is ready, small holes will mark the surface and the liquid will be absorbed. Turn off the heat and let the covered pot rest for 15 minutes. Resting is part of cooking. Asi se hace y punto.

   If the rice is still firm after resting, sprinkle 2 tablespoons hot bean broth around the edge of the pot, cover again, and cook over very low heat for 5 more minutes.
8. 8

   Make the mojo

   While the rice rests, pound the 3 garlic cloves and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a molcajete until you have a rough paste. Stir in the cane vinegar and sour orange juice. This is the jarocho echo of the Afro-Caribbean garlic-vinegar mojo: sharp, practical, and strong enough to cut through beans and lard.

9. 9

   Finish the pot

   Open the pot and remove the slit jalapeno. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the mojo around the edge of the rice, then fluff gently with a fork from the outside toward the center. Do not beat the rice to death. Pass the remaining mojo at the table for people who know what they are doing.

10. 10

    Serve Veracruz style

    If serving plantains, fry the slices in pork lard or unrefined coconut oil until the edges are deep gold and the centers are soft. Spoon the moros y cristianos from the cazuela family-style, with the fried plantains alongside. This is Veracruz, not Cuba and not Cartagena. The port brought the conversation. The epazote, achiote, lard, and black bean broth made it jarocho. Cada estado, su propia cocina.

Chef Tips

• •Use frijol negro. Not pinto, not bayo, not whatever bean is forgotten in the back of the pantry. The black bean broth is the ink that colors the rice.
• •The lard matters. Manteca de cerdo gives the rice body and carries the garlic and achiote. In some coastal Veracruz kitchens, coconut oil is used for plantains or meatless days. Vegetable oil tastes like surrender.
• •A single chile jalapeno belongs here because Veracruz gave its name to Xalapa. It should perfume the fat, not dominate the pot. Not all Mexican food is a contest of heat.
• •Canned black beans are a compromise, not an upgrade. If you must use them, choose unsweetened black beans, use the liquid from the cans, and make up the rest with water. You will miss the depth of a bean pot cooked with epazote. Now you know.
• •Do not add heavy cumin and call it Caribbean. Veracruz is not Cuba is not Cartagena. The register here is ajo, achiote, epazote, black bean broth, and a little vinegar bite from the mojo.

Advance Preparation

• •The black beans and their broth can be cooked up to 3 days ahead. Refrigerate beans and broth together so the liquid stays dark and seasoned.
• •The finished rice can be made 1 day ahead. Cool it in a shallow container within 1 hour, refrigerate, then reheat covered over low heat with 2 to 3 tablespoons bean broth sprinkled around the edge.
• •Fry the plantains just before serving. Reheated plantain is edible, but it loses the soft center and glossy edges that make it worth putting on the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 270g)