73: Moros y Cristianos

Ingredients:
1/2 lb black beans
5 cups water
1 green pepper
1/2 lb pork, cut into 1" cubes
4 Tablespoons pork fat (rendered from cubes)
3 garlic cloves
1 green pepper
1 bay leaf
4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 lb white jasmine rice
2 oz bacon

1. Lay the beans out on a flat surface and pick out any stones or damaged beans.
2. Rinse them in water.
3. Let the beans soak overnight in the 5 cups of water and with the green pepper, sliced.
4. Cook the beans, and the 5 cups of water, without the green pepper, in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes.
5. Strain the beans and reserve 3 cups of the liquid for later use.
6. In a pot over high heat, render the fat from the bacon and separate grease into two portions.
7. Toast the rice in one portion of the bacon grease.
8. Set the rice, cooked bacon and second portion of the bacon grease aside.
9. In the same pot, over high heat, cook the pork chunks until they have rendered 4 Tablespoons of fat. Add oil to the pot if not enough pork fat was rendered.
10. Remove the pork chunks and set aside for later use.
11. In a food processor, blend the onions, garlic cloves and green pepper to make a sofrito.
12. Pour the sofrito blend into the rendered pork fat until heated through.
13. Add the black beans, liquid from the beans, bay leaf, salt and oregano over high heat.
14. When it all starts to boil, add the rice to the pot.
15. Leave over medium heat, covered, for 30 minutes.
16. Before serving, add the crumbled bacon and second portion of bacon grease over the top.