Turmeric Rice And Beans With Onions, Peppers And Capers

1. 1

   Bring the rice, water, 1 teaspoon turmeric and a teaspoon of salt to a simmer, cover and cook on low for twenty minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff the rice with a fork, taste for salt and pepper as well as turmeric. I have found that turmeric can create a bitter taste if used too aggresively, so add any additional in small amounts and taste between. Don't go for a dark yellow colored rice - that would undoubtably be too much! Pale golden color is the way to go. If you are using pork in the dish, stir it into the cooked rice. This is a way my mother used leftover pork shoulder roast, and I like to use a grilled lean pork chop.

2. 2

   Combine the onion, peppers, garlic, water and beans while the rice is cooking, bring to a boil and then simmer until the rice is done (about twenty minutes). Taste for salt and pepper. If using canned beans, you can drain and rinse them to control the amount of sodium in the dish since some brands can contain A LOT! Otherwise adding the canned liquid is fine. If the mixture seems too thin, simmer longer, if it seems too thick, add a bit more water. It will naturally vary according to the size of the onion and peppers you use, but it should have just enough liquid to barely cover the mix.

3. 3

   Either put the rice on one large platter and add the bean mixture on top with a generous sprinkle of capers, or make seperate plates stovetop and let people add the capers as they like. Any kind of caper adds the finishing touch to this, but I like the large ones since the smaller ones seem to get just a bit lost, and I end up using many more!

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.