We do use a fair amount of dried beans, lentils, and chickpeas, but, as with coconut milk, the ease, consistency of quality, and storability of canned legumes renders them the favorite option. I mean, have you ever tried to measure out exactly how many cups of dried beans you need to hydrate for a 20-pound pot of rice and peas? Neither have I. Just throw in however many cans you remember putting in last time you got the most praise for the rice and call it a day. Among our favorites are broad, oval butter beans, which figure prominently in our oxtail gravy (the marrow-infused reduction that comes from simmering browned oxtails), pert, crisp-skinned pigeon or “gungo” peas (most often used for rice and peas and in soups), and melt-in-your-rice kidney beans. Rice and peas: Routinely confused with Latin American rice and beans, or otherwise entirely mislabelled as “peas and rice,” this omnipresent accompaniment to Caribbean savory dishes depends on the silken richness of coconut milk to meld the bright flavors of thyme, Scotch bonnet pepper, and scallions with the earthiness of squeaky-firm parboiled rice, long-simmered garlic, and butter-luscious peas. (Note: the distinction between rice and peas and rice and beans is a matter of emphasis and ratios: the rice is indisputably the focus in the Jamaican preparation.)
