PUERTO RICAN BEANS AND RICE(HABICHUELAS ROSADAS)

Steps:

• Prepare Cooked White Rice: In a heavy 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 3 cups water, 1/4 cup olive oil, and salt to boiling over high heat.
• Reduce heat to medium; add 2 cups rice and cook uncovered until rice appears to be dry-10 to 15 minutes.
• Using a fork, bring rice on the bottom to the top, but do not mix.
• Reduce heat to low; cook 10 minutes.
• Turn rice over again and cook 10 minutes longer.
• Cover rice and keep warm until ready to serve.
• This rice dish is somewhat crunchy in texture.
• Beans: In a 1-quart saucepan, heat water and squash to boiling over high heat.
• Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until tender-10 to 15 minutes.
• Drain squash, reserving 1 1/2 cups cooking liquid in a measuring cup.
• Add annatto seeds to cooking liquid and set aside 5 minutes.
• In 4-quart saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.
• Add onion, green pepper, garlic, chile pepper, and cilantro; saute mixture, or sofrito, 5 minutes.
• Strain liquid from annatto into sofrito, discarding seeds.
• Add tomato sauce and squash.
• Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened-about 20 minutes.
• Stir undrained beans, salt, and oregano into mixture and cook until beans are warmed through and sauce has thickened again-about 15 minutes.
• To serve, spoon bean mixture over Cooked White Rice on serving plate.
• Enjoy!