DYNAMIC DUO

0 Comments | Milwaukee Journal, The, Jan 25, 1995 | by ANNE SCHAMBERG

Special to The Journal

POOR POETS and starving artists know the humble glory of rice and beans. They have learned from people around the world who sustain themselves on this nutritious, budget- stretching combination.

In New Orleans, richly seasoned red beans and rice jazz things up. In Cuba, it is black beans and rice. In Italy, rice and beans show up in minestrone soup. In the Orient, the beans are transformed into tofu.

Benny Smith, of Benny's Bayou Kitchen in Brookfield, grew up on rice and beans. Looking back, it seems like his family ate beans, rice and corn bread for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"When I left Texas, I said I'd never eat rice and beans again and 30 years later here I am selling them," he says.

As it turns out, red beans and rice is one of his best sellers. The small, dry red beans are simmered in a meat stock seasoned with onions, green peppers, a blend of spices and smoked ham hocks. The ham is removed before serving.

Cayenne pepper is added judiciously to the beans as they cook. Customers are free to fire things up further with the two kinds of hot sauce on the table.

Smith swears by parboiled rice. "It's the only one that cooks up the way I want it," he said.

His customers belly up to about five gallons of the savory beans a day. "I would never have guessed I would have sold so many beans up here," he says.

Smith's father was a steel worker. He remembered that when there was a strike, a union representative would give the family a big bag of rice and a bag of pinto beans and some cornmeal to get them through.

At Sabor Latino, a new restaurant at 2463 S. 6th St., they cook up a traditional Puerto Rican version. Green pigeon peas and medium-grain rice are seasoned with achiote seeds, which add both flavor and yellow color to the dish.

Complete Protein

Jean Draeger, family-nutrition program assistant at the Waukesha County Extension Service, says that rice and beans together offer a complete protein source, with all the essential amino acids.

"The reason they are so often mixed is that both rice and beans are incomplete sources of protein," she says, noting that soybeans stand alone because they do provide complete protein.

Rice and beans also are made to order when the emphasis is on complex carbohydrates and high fiber. In addition, legumes such as beans are packed with B vitamins and both rice and beans are very low in fat.

Many traditional recipes use meat or meat stock to season the beans, but vegetarian versions can be just as flavorful. Skipping the meat also can make the meal more economical and lower in fat.

Pat Sturgis, co-owner of Beans & Barley, 1901 E. North Ave., often uses tamari soy sauce to season meatless beans. It contains B vitamins and has more flavor than salt.

Well-sauteed vegetables also add character.

"I personally very much like to saute pretty hard, almost to caramelize them a mix of vegetables including onions, carrots and celery. They can be added at any point in the cooking," Sturgis says.

Don't be afraid to experiment. Both rice and beans come in many different sizes and shapes, and each brings its own taste and texture, he says.

Bean counters have yet to add up all the different kinds of dried legumes. There are old favorites like kidney beans, lentils, black-eyed peas and navy beans. And there are plenty of oddballs like Steuben yellow-eye beans, Jacob's cattle beans and Dixie speckled lima butterpeas.

Its Your Choice

Take your pick, they all offer lots of complex carbohydrates, protein and dietary fiber. In the US Department of Agriculture's Food Guide Pyramid, beans find themselves with high-protein foods such as meat and eggs, and also with the vegetable group.

Canned beans are a quick substitute for dried beans. Hurry-up cooks can use canned beans in recipes that call for cooked beans. Rinse and drain the beans to remove excess salt and liquid.

In recent years American consumers have been showered with rice in various shapes and forms. Short-, medium- and long-grain rice, aromatic rices such as jasmine and basmati, Italian arborio rice and chewy brown rice.

Brown rice is the least processed form of rice. The outer hull is removed, but the bran layer is left intact.

According to the USA Rice Council in Houston, brown rice is slightly more nutritious than white rice. It contains more protein, fiber, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, niacin and vitamin E than its enriched white cousin.

Brown rice takes longer to cook, about 50 minutes, than regular-milled rice, which takes about 20 to 25 minutes. It also requires slightly more cooking liquid than white rice.

Some Types Are Sticky

The type of starch in short- and medium-grain rices gives them a greater tendency to cling and be sticky. Long-grain rice is drier and fluffier.

Converted rice or parboiled rice has goes through a steam pressure process before cooking. The result is firm, more separate grains.

HERE ARE two simple, satisfying recipes adapted from "Quick Vegetarian Pleasures" by Jeanne Lemlin (Harper Perennial, 1992):

Rice with Chickpeas, Herbs and Sun- Dried Tomatoes