Puerto Rican Beans and Rice

Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan. Add the onions and saute, stirring, until coated with oil. Cover and cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 15-minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute, uncovered for 3-minutes. Add the beans and the broth to the onion. Heat to boiling and cook, covered, over low heat for 2 hours. Add the bay leaves and cinnamon. Cover and continue to cook until the beans are very tender, about 1 hour more. Season with salt and hot red pepper sauce. The beans can be prepared up to 24-hours before serving. Reheat adding additonal broth if necessary. RICE & VEGETABLES 3 tbsp olive oil 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice 3 1/2 cups water or half unsalted chicken broth and half water 2 tsp salt 1/2 cup pared and finely chopped carrot 1/2 cup finely chopped celery 1/2 cup diced sweet red onion 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper Heat one tbsp oil in a heavy saucepan. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute, stirring just until tender, about 5-minutes. Stir in the rice until coated with oil. Add the water (or broth and water) and salt, then heat to boiling. Cover and cook the rice over medium-low heat until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15-minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tbsp of oil in a large skillet. Add the carrot, celery, and red onion, and saute, stirring, until tender but not browned, about 5-minutes. Add the green bell pepper and saute until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Set aside. Toss half of the sauteed vegetables with the cooked rice just before serving. Spread a mound of the rice in shallow soup plates and top with the beans. Garnish each with a spoonful of the remaining sauteed vegetables.