Red beans and rice didn't miss her

Oh, do I love Latin food. I especially love beans, and after I discovered the joy that is sofrito, I started making red beans and rice in a vaguely Puerto Rican style. I say vaguely because I have Puerto Rican relatives who argue that vegetarian Latin food is not Latin food. To that I say, sí se puede... cocinar el alimento vegetariano! (Feel free to correct my Spanish. I'm winging it.)

Ahem. If you didn't already know, sofrito is a cooking base made of onions, peppers, and garlic, all braised in olive oil. You can use it in a host of Latin dishes. You can make it yourself, or you can find it in a jar. My aunt recently informed me that sofrito in a jar is a sin, so in the interest of preserving my immortal soul, I set out to make my own sofrito. Luckily, my friend Kris gave me a vegan Latin cookbook for my birthday earlier this month. This is my interpretation of the sofrito recipe found therein.

Sofrito con tomate: Dice 2 lbs each of onions and green bell peppers, 1 lb tomatoes, and 6 cloves of garlic. Throw in a handful of chopped cilantro if you like. (I don't like, and I'm not the only one.) Toss this delicious mess, along with 1/4 cup olive oil and a dash of black pepper, into a big heavy pot. Get it simmering over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, then turn the heat down to low and let it cook down for roughly 30 minutes. (It takes less time if you omit the juicy juicy tomatoes, which is fine.) The goal is to reduce the sofrito to about 1/3 of its original volume. When it's done, I break out the immersion blender, because I prefer smooth sofrito. If you like yours chunky, then go on with your bad self. I won't judge.

Now what do you do with all this sofrito? I place about a cup and a half in a glass container, pour a little olive oil on top, and stick it in the fridge. It'll keep that way for a couple of weeks. I dump the rest into freezer bags and defrost the amounts I need later.

To get rid of (or to override) the lingering aroma of onions, cook something right away. I suggest red beans and rice. Again, this is my whitegirl interpretation and may not be entirely authentic. First, prepare your rice any old way. (I use a rice cooker.) While the rice cooks, make the beans.

Red beans and rice: Peel and dice two small white potatoes. Boil the potatoes until they're nearly done -- still firm, not mushy. They won't break apart when you pierce them with a fork. Drain the potatoes and leave them in the pot. Drain and rinse one 15-oz. can of red kidney beans (dark or light, doesn't matter), and add the beans to the potatoes. Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil, a packet of Goya sazón con achiote, 1/4 cup of sofrito, 1/4 cup of water, and a tablespoon or so of tomato paste. Alternatively, you can omit the water and tomato paste, and use another 1/4 cup of sofrito instead. I just like a punch of tomato flavor. Cook this mess over medium heat until the potatoes are done and the sauce is thickened, about 20 minutes. You may need to add a little more water during cooking if the sauce thickens before the potatoes are cooked. Use your judgment.

Remember the rice? Fluff it up, pile some on a plate, and top it with the beans. Devour. Repeat if desired.

Variation: for a Cuban flair, replace red beans with black beans, omit the potatoes, and add a little diced/sliced green bell pepper. Yum!

Latin rice-and-bean dishes are incredibly easy and inexpensive to prepare. They're also outstandingly delicious, especially if you're down for a little kitchen experimentation. Happy cooking!