Meatless Monday: Garbanzo Fritters and Cilantro Dip

Yes, I buy vegetable oil by the gallon. Some people may think that I'm always frying something, and I usually always am. Growing up in our Cuban household there was always a side dish of something fried, usually plantains, yuca or boniato but many times fritters.

For the Fritters:
15 oz canned garbanzo beans, drained
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 egg
1 tbsp all purpose flour

In a food processor or blender puree the garbanzo beans with the onion and garlic and egg, mix in the cumin and salt and cilantro. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the flour. Heat a skillet with about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil. Take a tablespoon of your mixture and form it into a small ball in the palm of your hand. Drop it into the oil and brown on all sides. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Do this in batches. It should yield 12-14 fritters.

For the Dip:
2 heaping tbsp mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp cilantro, minced
dash of lime juice

Mix these ingredients together.

Meatless Monday: Black Bean Dip & Yucca Chips

Black Bean Dip

I cooked a pot of black beans for this recipe (scroll to the bottom), but you can use canned black beans.

16 oz black beans, drained
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp fresh cilantro
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Place all the above ingredients in a food processor and blend 'til creamy. Garnish with cilantro and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with Yucca Chips (see below).

Yucca Chips

You need a fresh yucca root for this not frozen
oil for frying
salt and pepper

Peel your yucca. Diagonally slice your yucca with a knife into thin slices. Be careful! I wasn't going to fry my yucca right away so I let the slices sit in a bowl of water with some lime juice and salt. Heat a skillet on high with about and inch of oil (I don't really measure, but enough oil to fry chips). Pat dry your chips (if they were sitting in water) and drop them into the oil in batches. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate, sprinkle with salt and pepper.















 To cook your black beans, wash a pound of dry beans in cold water and let soak overnight in enough water to cover 2 inches above the beans, (you can soak them in the pot you're going to use the next day). Now here is an old Cuban tip or is it a tip from an old Cuban? (sorry tia, I love you). Put a teaspoon of baking soda into the pot of beans and bring to a boil. The baking soda really helps to soften the beans nicely, but you will get a lot of foam which you will have to skim out – so have a bowl nearby and don't walk away from the beans at this point, or you'll have a big mess (look at the picture)! Once you've skimmed your beans, drop in 2 bays leaves, a drizzle of olive oil and about a teaspoon of salt (you can adjust the salt later). Bring the heat down to medium low, cover and let cook for about 2 hours. We are going strain 2 cups of beans for this recipe and you will have plenty leftover that you can freeze for another time to make soup or use in salads, etc.

Frijoles Negros: Black Beans

Black beans are a Cuban household staple. We all grew up on black beans.

I was always afraid to make black beans because both my mother and my grandmother would make them in a pressure cooker, and as a child I was told to stay away because they were very dangerous. Then in my twenties, a relative of mine broke her arm making black beans in a pressure cooker (long story).  For many years I would buy canned black beans, which really do not compare.

Finally, my aunt from California who makes really tasty black beans, gave me her recipe and no, it doesn't require a pressure cooker. My slightly varied recipe follows:

Ingredients
1 lb dry black beans
1 large onion, diced
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, sliced
2 tsps cumin
1 tbsp salt
1 bay leaf
5 slices of bacon
large green olives
olive oil

Soak your black beans overnight in enough water to cover by 2 inches. Discard those that float to the top. The next day, pour your soaked black beans into a large pot with enough water to cover about 3 inches. Add your bay leaf, salt and 1 tbsp olive oil. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low.

Cut up your bacon slices into smaller pieces and cook them until they have rendered enough fat to satuee your onions, garlic and peppers until the onions are translucent. Pour all of this into your pot of beans. Stir, cover and let simmer on low for about 2 hours or until your beans are tender.

At this point you can remove your bacon pieces and the bay leaf. Cubans like their black beans rich and thick usually over rice. Check the consistency of your beans. If you prefer a black bean soup you may have to add water, if you want them thicker then heat uncovered for another half hour or so to reduce.

The quality and freshness of beans will vary the cooking time needed and the amount of liquid they will absorb, so adjust accordingly.