Puerto Rican Rice & Beans with Bacon

Stephanie Mongero

Rice and Beans has been a special meal served in my family for four generations. It is a recipe that has been passed down throughout my family, usually among the women. Rice and Beans was originally handed down from my great grandmother to my grandmother, then to my mother, and now to me. It is a special meal that we all share together on special occasions and at family gatherings.

Although the recipe is quite simple and something we see on the menu in many restaurants these days, this particular way of making the dish is somewhat special. It is hard for my family to enjoy this same meal cooked in a restaurant because it just does not seem to have the same flavor. It could be the bacon or the bacon grease that is used, or it could just be all of the love that goes into making it. In any case, the flavor is very distinct in this family recipe.

This dish does take some time and patience to make. The onion and green pepper have to be saut�ed slowly, and once all the ingredients are added, the longer you let it all simmer (checking and adding salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Adobo as needed) the better the flavor! Also, this is one of those dishes that tastes just as good, if not better, the next day. This certainly makes the time that it takes to prepare this dish well worth it!

There really is something special about having a recipe handed down through generations. You can always imagine your grandmother, great-grandmother, or great-great-grandmother standing over a pot preparing the same dish as you prepare it yourself. The dish may taste the same, but certainly the surroundings in which we prepare it are so different from the ones they lived in. That in itself is fascinating.