Black Bean Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette
Why I Love This Recipe
Ingredients You'll Need
1/2 cup roasted red pepper vinaigrette
1 cup dried black beans
1 large yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
Place the beans in a colander and rinse with cold running water. Pick over the beans and remove any stones or foreign objects. Place the beans in a clean pot, cover with fresh water and soak for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight. Drain the beans.
Place the beans, onion, pepper, garlic, pepper, cumin, coriander seeds, salt and cayenne pepper in a large pot.
Cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the beans are tender, about 1 hour.
Drain the liquid from the beans and reserve for later use.
Divide the cooked beans in half.
Place one portion in a large saucepan and add 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid.
Cook over medium heat until the beans are very soft, about 30 minutes; if necessary, add in liquid while cooking.
Drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid, and place in a large mixing bowl.
Mash the beans with a fork until they are smooth and fluffy. If the mixture is too thick, dilute with some of the reserved bean cooking liquid.
Blend in the reserved portion of the beans with a spoon and allow the mixture to cool.
Form the bean mixture into 8 individual cakes.
Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.
Add 2 bean cakes at a time and gently saute on both sides, cooking for about 1 minute on each side.
Warm the vinaigrette.
Place 2 cakes on each plate and spoon the vinaigrette over and around the cakes.
