Moors & Christians

I make a lot of these one-pot rice dishes. The recipe is basically the same for all of them and they are endlessly variable. I don't always add a legume, but it is a nice addition. I like lentils in particular. The black beans in this one makes it "Moors & Christians."

Start to finish is half an hour.

• Chop a bell pepper, a couple celery sticks, and an onion. A red or orange pepper provides nice color contrast, but green works just as well. this is the "Cajun Trinity" and is a variation on the classic mirepoix, which uses carrots instead of peppers. The volume ratio should be 1:1:2 - twice the onions since they wilt.
• Saute in butter and/or olive oil in a sauce pan. Or, fry up a little bacon d saute in that. Or maybe some sausage.
  
• Add a cup of rice and saute a couple more minutes until the rice browns a little.
• Drain a can of black beans, reserving the liquid. Add to pot and mix. Maybe mix in some chilies or garlic.
  
• Add two cups of stock (or water), including the reserved bean juice, to pot. Bring to boil and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Or you could stick it in a 350F oven for thirty minutes.
  
• Turn off heat and let rest for about 10 minutes.

At various stages you can add meat products. Smoked sausage, browned chicken thighs at the beginning, leftovers - whatever you happen to have.