Viva Vegan!: 200 Authentic and Fabulous Recipes for Latin Food Lovers (21 page)

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Serves 6 alongside rice and other sides

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Time: About 2 hours precooking the dried beans, then 35 to 45 minutes cooking the dish

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Gluten Free, Soy free

 

1 pound dried black beans
5 cups cold water
½ teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
1 cup Basic Onion-Pepper Sofrito
(page 32)
1 large tomato, seeded and finely
chopped, or ½ cup crushed
canned tomatoes
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons
papelón
, grated
and firmly packed, or dark brown sugar
Salt and ground pepper

 

1. Sort the black beans for any stones, broken beans, or random particles. Place the beans in a large glass or plastic bowl, add enough cold, fresh water to cover by at least 2 inches; and let soak for 8 hours or overnight.

2. Drain and rinse the beans of the soaking liquid. Place the beans, 5 cups of fresh cold water, salt, and the bay leaf in a large, heavy pot and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Lower the heat to a simmer, partially cover the pot, and cook for 1¾ to 2 hours, until the beans are tender, very soft, and easy to mash on the tongue. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

3. Stir in the
sofrito
, tomato, cumin,
papelón
, and a little salt. Bring the beans to a boil again, lower the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes to an hour, until your desired consistency is reached. Add ½ cup of water to the beans if they appear too dry. Season with pepper and more salt, if desired.

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Serves 4 to 6

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Time: About 35 to 45 minutes cooking the dish, not including the 2-hour precooking time if using dried beans

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Soy Free, Gluten Free

 

2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup Basic Onion-Pepper Sofrito
(page 32)
1 green or ripe but still firm plantain
1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
(optional)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1½ teaspoons ground paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups cooked red beans,
red kidney beans, or Colombian
bola roja or cargamanto beans, or
2 (15-ounce) cans red beans, drained
and rinsed
2½ cups vegetable broth or water
Salt and freshly ground pepper

 

1. In a large heavy pot, combine the olive oil and
sofrito
over medium-high heat. Fry for 2 minutes, then stir in the chopped plantain, shredded carrot if using, ground cumin, paprika, and oregano. Stir and continue to fry for another 5 minutes, until the plantain starts to turn yellow. Stir in the beans and vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Much of the liquid will have evaporated but the beans should be saucy. If not, continue to cook for another 10 minutes, until the desired consistency is reached. Remove from the heat and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Allow the beans to cool for 15 minutes before serving, for best flavor and consistency.

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Serves 6 alongside rice and/or tortillas

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Time: About 2 hours precooking the dried beans and 45 minutes cooking the dish

 

1 pound dried pinto beans
4½ cups cold water
A big pinch of dried epazote
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
2 serranos or other hot chiles, roasted,
seeded, and chopped
3 links Chorizo Seitan Sausages (page 36),
diced finely
1½ teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
2 teaspoons ground chile powder (a blend
or a single chile)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup fresh or canned diced tomatoes
1 (12-ounce) bottle of Mexican beer,
preferably lager-style
1 tablespoon tequila

 

1 cup finely diced onion
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 pickled jalapeños, chopped finely

 

1. Sort the pintos for any stones, broken beans, or random particles. Place the beans in a large glass or plastic bowl; add enough cold, fresh water to cover by at least 2 inches; and let soak for 8 hours or overnight.

2. Drain and rinse the beans of the soaking liquid. Place the beans, the 4½ cups of fresh water, and the epazote in a large, heavy pot and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Lower the heat to a simmer, partially cover the pot, and cook for 1¾ to 2 hours, until the beans are tender, very soft, and easy to mash on the tongue. Drain off about 2 cups of bean-cooking water and set aside.

3. About an hour into cooking the beans, heat the peanut oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and serranos and fry for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent. Stir in the seitan chorizo and fry for 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the oregano, chile powder, cumin, and tomatoes, and fry for 6 to 8 minutes, until very soft. Set aside until the beans are completely soft, then stir the fried vegetables and chorizo into the beans, making sure to scrape in as much of the pan juices as possible. Stir in the beer; you should have enough liquid to cover the beans by about 2 inches; add more bean-cooking liquid as necessary. Simmer the beans over medium-low heat for 45 minutes, until thickened. Turn off heat, stir in the tequila, and let the beans cool for 15 minutes prior to serving.

4. To serve: Combine the diced onion, cilantro, lime juice, and jalapeño. Spoon the beans onto a serving plate and sprinkle with the onion garnish. Serve immediately with hot corn tortillas or any rice and a simple green cabbage salad. (If serving beans later, hold off on making the garnish until ready to serve.)

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Serves 4 generously, or 6 as a side

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Time: Less than 30 minutes, not including precooking the rice and beans

 

3 tablespoons olive or other vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ pound (one small) onion, diced finely
1 small red or green hot chile, seeded
and minced (optional)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and
diced finely
2 cups cold cooked long-grain white or
brown rice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups cooked black, red, or pink beans
½ cup bean-cooking liquid or vegetable
broth, plus a little extra if necessary
1 tablespoon vegetarian Worcestershire
sauce
½ teaspoon liquid smoke
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
Hot sauce, for serving

 

1. In a large, deep cast-iron skillet, heat the olive oil and garlic over medium heat. When the garlic starts to sizzle, add the onion, chile (if using), and bell pepper, and fry for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Stir in the rice and fry for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Then stir in the cumin, beans, bean-cooking liquid, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, salt, and ground pepper. Use a metal spatula to stir frequently, and occasionally mash some of the beans into the rice. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed but the mixture is still moist, 10 to 15 minutes. If the mixture looks too dry, drizzle in 1 to 2 tablespoons of additional liquid until your desired consistency is reached.