College Rice & Beans

This is the first dish I ever “invented” for myself in college, and I remember being quite proud of it at the time. It tasted great, contained all the food groups, was idiot-proof, cheap, and filling. I was a genius!  As the decades passed, my pride diminished somewhat (for example, I now recognize this as basically a low-rent jambalaya), although my enjoyment remains intact.     

With all its veggies and protein, this dish is a one-pot meal. It’s mostly not rice. But the rice is the glue that holds everything else together.  To be clear, this is no delicate, refined basmati pilaf where every grain is separate. We make this with short-grain brown sticky rice. It’s a sticky dish. It sticks to the ribs. 

Can you leave the meat out? Absolutely!  (You can sub in some veggie meat, or nothing at all).  Can you top it with fried egg? Absolutely! Same goes for sliced avocado or even a dollop of sour cream. Can you change up the vegetables, the spice palate, and the proportions? You bet. This is a very forgiving recipe.  

Serves 6

• 1 C short-grain brown rice
• 1 15-oz can pink or black beans, drained
• ¼ C extra virgin olive or raw sesame oil
• 16 oz ground turkey
• 1 medium-large red onion
• 1-6 cloves garlic
• 4 medium carrots
• 4 stalks celery
• 1 large or 2 medium bell peppers
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 small can (6-8 oz) tomato paste
• ½ cup pecorino romano cheese (the real stuff, if it doesn’t say “pecorino” don’t use it)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Start your rice cooking. Two parts water, one part rice, simmer on low, covered, for around 45 minutes. Check towards the end if it’s drying out, and add more water as needed.  
2. Chop all the vegetables into pieces roughly the size of beans. Feel free to add some chili peppers if you like it spicy.  
3. In a Dutch oven or similar heavy-bottom pot, over medium heat, brown turkey in the oil, breaking up the pieces with a wooden spoon.  ¼ C oil is perfect if you’re using dark meat turkey. For leaner white meat, use a little more.  
4. Add all the other chopped vegetables, and continue cooking until they’re sort of soft, but not super-mushy.
5. Add the tomato paste, cumin, and oregano, and cook until the tomato paste starts to brown around the edges of the pot a little bit.  That browning gives you a little extra flavor. You’re going to want to stir and scrape regularly at this stage, with a wooden spoon. 
6. Now stir in the beans, cooked rice, and romano cheese. Adjust salt and pepper. Sprinkle on some more cheese if you want and/or some hot sauce. Or a South Indian podi (flavoring powder). Whatever. Enjoy!