Rice and Beans with Porkchops and Fried Bananas

This is a very tasty, exotic and cheap dish to make.

 

 (this picture is not quite how the bananas are supposed to look like served. This was after an experiment, where I fried the bananas with the peppers and cilantro inside of them...it was a bit tastier, but messier and not as handsome served. Also, serve with a pilsner or light ale, not wine! I had no beer and was hungry...)

Ingredients:


Black Beans
Basmati Rice
Pork chops or pork ribeye
Garlic
Onions
Cumin
Lemon
Salt
Red Wine
Firm Bananas (the common ones, not platanos)
Butter
Olive oil
Your favorite hot pepper
Cilantro
Sour Cream
White salty cheese that does not melt too easily (I use Mexican Ranchero)

The meat and bananas are cooked last. Bananas last of all as the meat holds the heat a little better and can easier kept warm if you need to, but try to get these last two items to come to the plate straight from their respective skillets...Cook your rice and beans first and keep covered or put in the oven to keep warm for serving. 

1) The rice:
Everyone likes to cook their rice differently. I usually simply heat up some olive oil and saute some onions in the pot, throw in the amount of rice I want to cook, let it get coated and hot with the oil, add the salt, and then add the required water or vegetable broth (if you like it tastier). For this dish in particular, you don't need an overly fancied-up rice. Cover to keep warm.

2) The Beans:

Some people soak their beans. Can't tell you how here. So let's proceed as if the beans are ready to go. If you want use canned. I am not a beans purist, I'm afraid...In an non stick pan saute some onions in some olive oil and butter. Drain your beans but do not throw out all the water. Add the beans to the pot when the onions are transparent and and begun to brown. allow for the beans to cook in relatively hot heat for a couple of minutes, add an eight of a cup of the bean water, add cumin (a teaspoon per can) add salt, add the juice of half a lemon, stir, and let this cook in medium low heat. Add and gently stir in eight of a cup of red wine (per can of beans) Let cook at medium heat for a couple of minutes minding it does not get too dry on you. It's not black bean soup, but it is also not refried beans...so mind that. Reduce heat to low and let cook another minute or two. Cover to keep warm.



3) The Meat:
I like to use good quality pork. Even organic pork is not that expensive. Not much to it in preparation. Traditionally done in Galicia, you simply get good meat from the guy down the street, chop some garlic and make little holes throughout the meat with your fingers and stick the little pieces of garlic into these holes. Salt to taste and cook in hot olive oil until brown on both sides. Make sure you stick the garlic deep in there otherwise it could burn in the cooking process and ruin the flavor of the chops. Do not overcook or undercook. You are using meduim high heat so that you can brown but also cook. If it's too low it wont brwon. If it's too high it wont cook inside. Basic...

4) The bananas
4a-I a non-stick skillet heat up a couple of table spoons of butter and fry your bananas until the caramelize (brown) on both sides. If they are too ripe, be careful they don't fall apart and melt on you!

4b-On a separate non-stick skillet, heat up a tablespoon of olive oil and fry your cheese (sliced medium thickness and cut in little squares. You want several of these to fit into the spliced banana). Cook until brown on both sides.

4c-Cut your fresh hot peppers of choice and cilantro finely. As to the amounts, do so to taste. There are weaklings out there who can't take their hot food, so load it up hotter for them just out of principle!

4d- Splice the browned banana but not all the way through. Do it the way you would a hotdog bun...

4e- Add the browned cheese first and sprinkle with the uncooked minced cilantro and hot peppers.

4f-Top with sour cream and serve quickly before it cools.

5- You all know by now what the last step is.. :-)