Cuban-Style Rice and Black Beans (“Moros y Cristianos”)

Soak the beans for 24 hours. Rinse them and cook them in a saucepan with three times their volume of water over low heat, between 1 and 2 hours (taste the beans – they should be tender, but not crushed). Add the salt towards the end of cooking. Drain, reserving 2 glasses of the cooking water. In another pan, brown the onion, garlic and pepper with the cumin, pepper and bay leaf. Add the thyme, oregano and paprika, mix and add the rice, tomatoes, beans and two cups of the water from cooking the beans. Cook for 20 minutes over low heat, keeping an eye on it. From time to time, gently stir the mixture as it tends to stick to the bottom of the pan. When all of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice, remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.