Lunch: Moors and Christians (Moros y Cristianos)

Recipe by Maricel Presilla For seven centuries, Moors and Christians fought one another in Spain, but in the guise of black beans and rice they surrendered to each other's charms within the all-embracing New World pot. Like the hybrid culture that flouri

Ingredients

8 ounces dried black beans
1 medium yellow onion (about 8 ounces), peeled
1 medium green bell pepper (about 7 ounces), cored, seeded, and halved
6 Caribbean sweet peppers (ajíes dulces) or 1 cubanelle pepper
1 ham hock (optional)

Instructions

Rinse and pick over the beans. Place in a medium heavy-bottomed pot with 2 1/2 quarts water, the onion, bell pepper, ajíes or cubanelle pepper, and the ham hock, if using, and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, until the beans are tender but still retain their shape, about 2 hours. Drain, reserving 4 cups of the cooking liquid. Discard the vegetables and ham hock; you should have 2 cups cooked beans.

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