Slow Cooker Mojo Pork, Cuban Black Beans And Rice, And Cindy Flowers

Before I get into the food, Cindy likes to make flower arrangements so she picked the flowers from around our place and made this very pretty one.

I had a pork butt in the freezer that needed to be used and I opted to turn it into Mojo Pork for our Friday get together.  I made it the same as two years ago so I won’t reproduce the recipe here but you can click on the link to find it.

To go with the pork, I decided on Cuban Black Beans And Rice using the recipe  from the “Latina Mom Meals” blog and the only change from the original was the use of canned beans.  Once again Cindy took over cooking this dish while I handled the pork.

Cuban Black Beans and Rice

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon neutral oil

4 slices of bacon, chopped

1 medium white onion finely diced

1/2 bell pepper, small dice

3 garlic cloves minced

1 bay leaf dried

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 teaspoon salt adjust to taste

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 cups long-grain white rice rinsed

2 cans black beans

3 cups reserved black bean cooking liquid -see instructions

1 tablespoon white vinegar add after black rice and beans are cooked

Instructions:

Drain and rinse the beans over 4 cup measuring cup and capture the liquid then add water to make 3 cups.

Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.

Add the diced bacon and cook until it turns golden and crispy.

Add the diced onion, green bell pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables soften and become fragrant.

Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.

Add the cumin, oregano, salt, and black pepper, stirring to coat the vegetables in the spices.

Add the rinsed white rice to the pot and stir until each grain is coated in the sofrito mixture.

Toast the rice for about 1-2 minutes to absorb the flavors.

Stir in the cooked black beans, then pour in the reserved bean cooking liquid (about 3 cups total).

Mix gently to combine

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Taste for seasonings here, and adjust with salt or even more cumin, if desired.

Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover tightly, and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed. DO NOT OPEN BEFORE 20-25 MINUTES!

Turn off the heat and fluff the rice gently with a fork.

Drizzle the white vinegar over the black beans and rice, stir, then cover again and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.

I opted to make my pork similar to a Cuban sandwich so I spread mustard on a tortilla, added a slice of cheese then the meat.  Finally I topped it with some chopped onion and chopped dill pickle.

The Verdict:

I thought both dishes were very good and they were a hit with our Friday card group.  Other than the absence of ham, mine tasted very much like a Cuban sandwich.

Photos can be slightly enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

5/1/25 meal date