Arroz Y Frioles Negros con Cerdo a Limon (Rice and Black Beans with Lime Pork)

By SigningiS

Ingredients
-4 pretty damn thick pork chops. Just under an inch thick will do nicely.

-1 large onion

-3 cloves garlic

-extra virgin olive oil

-balsamic vinegar

-1 lime

-salt

-pepper

-enough uncooked rice to make 3 cups cooked (don’t use instant, you lazy-ass.)-saffron (optional, but nice)

-cashews, whole or halves (don’t bother if you don’t have the saffron)

-1 can (8 oz) of your favorite black beans. Progresso is best. Make sure they aren’t already seasoned.

-allspice

-Tabasco or your favorite hot pepper sauce

Pork
Take your large onion and cut half of it into quarter inch slices. Save the rest for the other part of this recipe. Cut those slices in half. Mince a clove of garlic. Pour about 6 oz olive oil into a big mixing bowl. This is for the marinade. Pour in a splash of balsamic vinegar, about 2 oz. Put onions and garlic into mixing bowl. Trim excess fat from pork chops and dispose of. Add pork chops to onion and garlic mixture. Add juice from lime into marinade. Cut lime skin into 8 large pieces and add to marinade. Add about 2 teaspoons of salt and half of a teaspoon of pepper. Mix with a fork, cover with plastic wrap and put this into the fridge for at least 2 hours. 24-36 hours is better. It’s a pretty mild marinade, so you don’t have to worry about it getting too strong. When you’re ready to cook it, get a skillet and add some of your olive oil. Just enough to cover the bottom. Make sure you cook it at a medium heat. If you cook it too fast it won’t be done in the middle. You can either cook the pork chops whole in the pan or you can slice them into thinner pieces and cook those. Or you can broil it in the oven. Just make sure your pork is completely cooked! Cut it a little bit in the middle and have a peek. If it’s all white and the juice is clear, you’re good to go. Cook the onions after the meat is all done, or right with the meat if you’re into that. Don’t forget to remove the lime rind.

Rice
Put 1/4 cup olive oil into 2 quart pot or something that’s going to be big enough to cook your rice in. Take your remaining onion and make 3 very thin slices. Mince it very, very fine and put it into your pot. Mince 1 clove of garlic and add it to the onion. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and a pinch of pepper. Heat over medium-low heat until garlic starts turning gold. Add water according to directions required for your particular brand of rice. Add enough saffron to make the water fairly yellow. You want to give the rice some good color. Use a spoon to take some water from the pot to see how yellow it is. It’s hard to tell when it’s in the pot. Add about a 1/4 of a cup of cashews, more of you feel the need. Add a little more salt to taste. You want it to have some savor. Bring the water to a boil, add the rice and cook according to the directions provided for your brand of rice.

Beans
Chop the remaining onion and put it into a small pot. Mince your last clove of garlic and add to the onion. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and a little pepper. Cook on medium-low heat until the garlic turns gold. Add the can of black beans (include the liquid that comes with it). Add 1/8 teaspoon of allspice and a few shots of Tabasco. Let it simmer on low for about 30 minutes or so.

Oh yeah, last step. Mangia!