Another successful, but complicated Cooks Illustrated recipe was completed a few weeks back – the vegetarian version of the Cuban Black Beans and Rice. In true Cook's Illustrated form, the recipe required not only a number of ingredients, but also a number of cooking tools. Despite the multi-step and laborious preparation process, the result – despite the vegetarian alterations – was fantastic. Very flavorful, rich and filling – and while not being presumably that bad from a nutrition and calorie perspective.
The only modification I would make the next time I make the dish is to make sure I have a more "fresh" bag of black beans. The dried beans I have in my cupboard have probably sat there for over a year, and you could tell the beans, despite being well-cooked, were tougher than they should have been. I also would consider halving the recipe because it definitely produced way too much food than two people can reasonably eat, even over a few days. So maybe it would be a good anchor to a dinner party in the future?
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