Ingredients

• 1 lb long grain rice
• 1 cup of black beans
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp vinegar 
• A pinch of cumin
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2-1/2 cup of the liquid from cooking the black beans
• 1 medium sized onion chopped
• 1/2 green pepper cut in strips
• Some salt and black pepper

Preparation

Soak the black beans in 5 cups of water, bay leaf, a little of the olive oil, the heart of a green pepper without the seeds. Cook until the black beans are soft but not too soft. In a deep sauce pan (or in the rice cooker), heat up the oil and start the sofrito with the onion, green pepper, garlic, cumin, and black pepper. Cook the sofrito very well until is very soft. Add 2-1/2 cups of the liquid from the black beans and 2 spoonfuls of the beans without liquid. Save the rest of the black bean liquid in case you need it to finish the rice. Add the rice, the vinegar and salt. 

CONGRI ORIENTAL (from the eastern Cuban province of Oriente) is prepared in the same way but with red beans.