Photo by Leslie Limón Morisqueta is a classic Mexican dish popularized in the state of Michoacán. In its simplest form Morisqueta is a combination of white rice and cooked pinto beans topped with a spicy tomato salsa, Mexican crema, and crumbled queso fresco. Other versions of morisqueta include tender pieces of pork or beef added to the salsa, and garnishes like shredded cabbage and crema. Traditionally morisqueta is served with simple fried quesadillas, but you can also serve it with warm corn tortillas or totopos (tortilla chips) for a delicious meatless meal any day of the week.
Ingredients
- For the Sauce
- 4 Roma tomatoes
- 2 dried ancho chiles stems and seeds removed
- 2 dried guajillo chiles stems and seeds removed
- 2 serrano chiles stems and seeds removed
- 3 cups water
- 1 clove of garlic
- For the Rice
- 2 cups chicken broth or water
- 1/2 medium onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup long-grain rice
- 3 cups pinto beans
- 1 cup queso fresco or cotija cheese crumbled
Directions
- For the sauce bring the tomatoes, dried chiles, and serrano chiles to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until tomatoes are completely cooked. Remove from heat; let cool slightly. Puree the tomatoes, dried chiles, serrano chiles and the water they were cooked in with the garlic in a blender until smooth; season with salt to taste.
- For the rice, puree the chicken broth, onion, and garlic in a blender until smooth. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the rice for 3 to 4 minutes until light golden brown. Carefully pour in the chicken broth mixture, stirring gently to combine. Season lightly with salt. Do not stir after this point. Once rice comes to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer over low heat for 12 to 15 minutes or until no liquid remains and the rice has cooked completely.
- While the rice is simmering, heat the pinto beans in a medium saucepan.
- To serve the morisqueta, spoon a generous serving of rice. Top with ½ cup cooked pinto beans. Ladle 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the salsa over the rice and beans. Garnish with 2 to 3 tablespoons of crumbled queso fresco. Serve with warm tortillas or totopos (tortilla chips).
Chef Notes
Heat 2 cups of shredded beef, pork, or chicken in the tomato chile sauce.
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