Rice and beans is a classic. This recipe makes a huge amount, which I like to keep around throughout the week. This version is based on the Basic Black Beans and Rice Cooked in Black Bean Broth recipes from Deborah Madison’s The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, but modified to treat them as a single recipe and to use a pressure cooker to speed up cooking the beans.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups black beans, sorted and rinsed
• 1¼ cups white or brown rice, rinsed well.
• 2 teaspoons fresh or dried epazote
• 1 onion finely diced
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ¹⁄₈ teaspoon anise seeds
• 1 cup peeled, diced tomatoes, fresh or canned
• Salt
• Vegetable oil

Recipe

1. Soak 1½ cups black beans for several hours. I usually start this in the morning before going to work, so they’ll be ready to cook when I get home.
2. Drain the beans, then cover with 6 cups fresh water in a pressure cooker and boil them hard, with the lid off, for 10 minutes. While this is happening, dice the onion. Chop the garlic and prep the remaining ingredients now if you have time as well.
3. Add the epazote, ½ of the onion, oregano, and 1 teaspoon of salt.
4. Put the lid on the pressure cooker, bring to pressure (about 10 minutes). Once at pressure, cook for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and allow pressure to drop naturally, about 20 minutes.
5. Separate as much of the broth from the beans as you can, placing both aside.
6. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan. Add the remaining onion and sauté over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes.
7. Add the rice, garlic, and anise and stir to coat the rice. Cook until it’s light gold, 3 to 4 minutes.
8. Add 2 cups of the broth, tomatoes, and ½ teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil.
9. Cover and cook over low heat until the rice is done, 15-18 minutes for white rice and about 45 minutes for brown rice.