Tasting the Caribbean

My son and I cooked this on Saturday: Caribbean-style beans and rice from Michael Chiarello. Delicious. We doubled the recipe and went with the serrano chilis rather than the Scotch bonnet, though I think next time I will add another one for just a touch more heat. Since we used canned beans rather than soaking dry beans (I know, I know), we added a cup of rice to balance out the extra liquid.

He enjoyed chopping the garlic and mimicking the knife work he sees on cooking shows (as I hovered somewhat anxiously nearby, of course). He also enjoyed grinding the pepper we would need into a bowl. Standing around and watching pots is not his bag; he wants to work.

The result was fantastic. Next time, we're trying it with the dry beans, since I'm curious about how the beans would soak up the flavor of the cinnamon, allspice and coconut milk.

We paired the red beans and rice with this roasted chicken. Since the recipe called for garlic and pepper sauce (to stir into the melted butter), I used a red chili garlic sauce I bought on our last trip to the Asian grocery down the street.

A successful day of cooking all around, with leftovers for days.