Congri Food

CUBAN-STYLE CRISTIANOS Y MOROS (CONGRI)

Steps:

• Soak the beans for at least 4 hours.
• In a large stock pot add the drained beans, the onion, 4 garlic cloves, bay leaves, 1/2 bell pepper, cumin and oregano. Bring to a boil and skim off foam.
• Reduce the heat, cover and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, for one hour or until beans are tender. Add water to keep the beans from drying out. Remove the onion, garlic, bay leaves, and bell pepper and discard.
• SOFRITO: Brown the bacon in a frying pan over medium heat. Drain the bacon. Pour off the fat from the pan except for 1 teaspoon.
• Add olive oil and remaining sofrito ingredients, cooking over medium heat until just beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir the sofrito into the beans, along with the SEASONINGS. Continue simmmering until beans are very soft, about 20 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste before serving. Serve with hot cooked white rice.

CUBAN-STYLE ARROZ CONGRí

Steps:

• Rinse the beans and pick them over for any small stones. Put the beans and 8 cups water in a medium-size pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer, partly cover and cook until tender, about 1 to 2 hours. (Time will vary depending on the bean.)
• Meanwhile, make the sofrito: Put the oil in a medium-size pot (large enough to hold the rice as well) over medium heat. When it's hot, add the onion, green pepper and garlic. Add a pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper. Sauté until the vegetables are limp. Stir in the oregano, dill and bay leaves and remove from heat.
• Drain the beans, reserving the broth and being careful to not break the beans. In a large measuring cup, add the vinegar and wine, 1 cup of the reserved bean broth and enough water for all the liquid to measure 2 1/4 cups.
• Put the sofrito back on medium heat, add the rice and stir to combine. Cook the rice for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the seasoned bean broth/water mixture and the salt. Bring to a boil, stir, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 17 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork and return cover to pot for 10 minutes.
• Remove bay leaves and put rice mixture into a mixing bowl. Gently mix in the beans, being careful not to break them. Season well with salt and pepper and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve hot.

EASY CONGRI

Steps:

• Cook bacon, ham, onions, green peppers and garlic in large skillet on medium-high heat until bacon is crisp.
• Add beans with their liquid, the rice, oregano and black pepper; stir. Bring to boil.
• Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 min., stirring occasionally.

CONGRI (CUBAN BLACK BEANS & RICE)

Steps:

• Put the beans and bay leaf in a 4-quart saucepan and cover with 2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, adding more water if necessary to keep the beans covered by 1 inch, until just tender with a little bite, about 1 hour. Season with 1-1/2 Tbs. salt.
• Put the bacon and oil in a 6- to 8-quart pot. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly crispy, about 7 minutes. Add the onion, pepper, garlic, oregano, cumin, and 1-1/2 Tbs. salt and cook, stirring, until softened, about 10 minutes. Turn the heat up to high, add the wine, and cook until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring to coat, for about 1 minute. Add the beans and their liquid, stir well, and add enough water to cover the beans and rice by about 3/4 inch.
• Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, cover, and turn down the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until the water is absorbed and the rice and beans are both tender throughout, about 17 minutes. (Do not stir the rice and beans while cooking; it can make the rice clumpy.) Season to taste with salt. Just before serving, fluff the rice, stir in the cilantro, and drizzle with a little olive oil.

CONGRI (CUBAN BLACK BEANS AND RICE)

Steps:

• Begin by checking the beans for any stones. You can do this by hand or place the beans in water and the rocks will sink to the bottom of the bowl.
• Once you've checked the beans for any stones, rinse them and then place them in the instant pot. Cover the beans with 7 cups of water. Add 1/2 green bell pepper, close the lid, and press the "pressure cook" function. Seal the valve and cook for 45 minutes.
• Place the beans and liquid into a pot with high sides. Add the cumin, bay leaf, sofrito, recaito, chicken bouillion powder, vinegar, vino seco, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Discard the green bell pepper or chop it into bite-sized pieces. Cook the beans over high heat and let it come to a rapid boil.
• Once the beans come to a boil, stir in the rice. Check for seasoning, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 25-30 minutes. After 30 minutes, uncover and stir. Cover again and let it cook until the rice is perfectly fluffy. Finally, check for seasoning and enjoy!

CUBAN-STYLE RED BEANS AND RICE - CONGRI TRADITIONAL

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crsip.
• Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan, crumble bacon, and set aside on paper towel to drain.
• Add oil to pan.
• Add onion and bell pepper; sauté over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until onion is tender.
• Add garlic; sauté 1 minute or just until garlic begins to brown.
• Add tomato paste; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Add rice, oregano, cumin, salt, and black pepper; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Place reserved bacon and bay leaf in pan; stir in 6 cans of broth and bring to a boil.
• Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
• Remove from heat; discard bay leaf.
• Stir in remaining can of broth and beans.
• Cook 5 minutes over low heat or until heated through, stirring frquently, but carefully.
• Garnish with green onions, if desired or/and parsley, if desired.

ARROZ CONGRI (CUBAN RICE AND BLACK BEANS)

Steps:

• In a heavy medium sized pot, heat oil on medium heat.
• Add onions, peppers and garlic and saute until soft, about 4-5 minutes.
• Add rice, beans, water, cumin, bay leaf, oregano and salt and pepper. Simmer on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the rice absorbs most of the water and just barely skims the top of the rice.
• Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minute (don't peek).
• Make sure you have a good seal on your cover, the steam cooks the rice. After 20 minutes, shut flame off and let it sit, covered another 5 minutes (don't open the lid).

MOROS Y CRISTIANOS

Steps:

• Soak the beans for 24 hours in a very large quantity of cold water.
• Rinse thoroughly.
• Add the beans and 5 cups (1,25 l) of water in a large pot. Cook covered on low-medium heat for 1h30. The beans should be tender but not crushed.
• Add salt 10 minutes before the end of cooking.
• Drain the beans and set aside 2 cups (500 ml) of their cooking water.
• In a deep Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and fry the onion, garlic and bell peppers for 1 minute.
• Add the cumin, oregano, black pepper and bay leaves. Mix.
• Add the thyme and paprika and mix well.
• Add the rice, tomatoes, beans and cooking water to the beans.
• Cook covered for 20 minutes over low heat, stirring as the preparation tends to stick to the bottom of the casserole.
• When all the liquid is absorbed by the rice, remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

ARROZ CONGRí

Steps:

• Wash the soaked beans.
• Add them into a pressure cooker and cover generously with water.
• Lock the pressure cooker and cook the beans under pressure for 30 minutes.
• Wash the beans and soak them in water the night before or for a few hours before cooking.
• Take 2 large ladles of cooked beans and 2 large ladles of the cooking water.
• Heat the olive oil or lard in a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the diced pork and fry them until they release their fat and are golden.
• Remove the pieces of meat and, in the hot fat, add the sliced ​​onions, garlic, cilantro, ajis cachuchas (sweet Cuban peppers), and dry seasonings.
• Stir everything and add the kidney beans. Brown together with the rest of the ingredients for a few minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add the rice and mix it with all the other ingredients until the grains of rice start to absorb the flavors.
• Then cover everything with the reserved cooking water for the beans.
• Cover and cook over low to medium heat until the rice softens and absorbs all the water. Uncover and stir with a fork to separate the grains and prevent them from settling as they cool.
• Serve the arroz congrí hot, sprinkled with fried pork when ready to serve.

ARROZ CONGRI

Steps:

• This recipe starts with the frijoles. Put the beans and bay leaves in a saucepan and cover with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Add water when necessary to keep the beans covered by 1 inch, until just tender. This will take about one hour. Season with a pinch of salt to taste. Now it's time to have some fun! Fry the bacon and oil in a 6- to 8-quart pot. Cook over medium-low heat until slightly crispy. Add the onion, pepper, garlic, cumin, oregano and stir for about 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat. Add the beans and their liquid, stir well, and add enough water to cover the beans and rice by about 3/4 inch. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat then turn down the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover tightly and do not uncover until the water is absorbed and the rice and beans are both cooked throughout about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Once done, garnish with cilantro and drizzle with a little olive oil just before serving.

BROWN RICE CONGRí

Steps:

• Place a colander over a bowl and drain black beans. Reserve beans and ½ cup of the bean liquid.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, about 4 minutes.
• Add the rice and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Add the broth, beans and reserved liquid, oregano, cumin, paprika, bay leaf, and salt.
• Bring rice mixture to a boil over medium-high. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 18 minutes. Fluff with a fork, discard bay leaf, and serve.