Mexican Style Rice and Beans

To my Mexican friends: O.K., I know, this dish isn’t really Mexican!
To my Italian friends: Yeah, this has nothing to do with a true risotto either. But to my defence, if we mixed anything with rice (leftover meat, vegetables, etc. – we always called it risotto at home. My apology! 🙂 It’s my own take on using spices, popular in Latino cuisine and twist it all around!

This recipe looks like a lot of ingredients, but most of it are spices you probably already have in your pantry. It’s simple and delicious!

Mexican Style Rice and Beans (my Mexican “risotto”)

Ingredients:
½ red onion
3 gloves of garlic
1 chili pepper (or any hot pepper desired, event. dry red flakes)
1 yellow bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper – all cleaned, seeded and chopped to a little cubes
1 can of yellow corn – drained (or fresh)
½ cup of white wine
½ teaspoon of chili powder
½ teaspoon of coriander
½ cumin
1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
1 teaspoon of chipotle seasoning
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon of taco spice mix
½ cup of white wine
2 cups of cooked brown rice (white is fine too, but brown perhaps healthier?)
2 cups of cooked dark beans drained and rinsed with water
2 table spoon of chopped cilantro
1 table spoon of chopped tarragon and fresh oregano (optional)
1 whole lime
Olive oil

In a heavy duty large pan sauté finely chopped onion with garlic, peppers and seasoning, with a little bit of olive oil. Stir on medium heat for a few minutes. When vegetables softens up, add yellow corn and wine a continue cooking. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add chopped herbs, rice and cooked beans and stir to mix the ingredients together.

Add white wine, if too dry. Let cook on low heat for a few more minutes so the flavors can melt together. Serve with sprinkled fresh chopped cilantro on top and squeeze lime juice all over dish.

Wine pairing suggestion:
Honestly, I would always go for a nice chilled Corona with a lime first when it comes to pair something with rich and spicy rice and beans. But this time, I picked rich and flavorful Argentinian blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah made by Michel Rolland – Clos de los Siete from the region of Mendoza. This wine shows a lot of fruit so it cuts the heat a little, but it’s not huge to overpower the dish.