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

 

Serves 6 alongside rice and other sides

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

Gluten Free, Soy free
 
 
These are the beans I grew up with, a reminder of home with every bite. Black beans reign supreme in Venezuelan cuisine and are eaten any time of day with every kind of meal. Venezuelan food is mild, avoiding chiles and heavy spices in favor of the food’s natural flavor.
Caraotas
are just that: black beans stewed with a touch of seasonings (
aleiños
in Venezuela) including onion and sometimes cumin, tomato, or a touch of natural brown sugar
papelón
(see
panela
, page 214).
 
 
Tip:
Refry leftover
caraotas
to make them thick enough to be spread inside hot arepas or stuffed into empanadas.
 
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.
COLOMBIAN-STYLE RED BEANS
 
 

Serves 4 to 6

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

Soy Free, Gluten Free
 
 
Beans in Colombian fare are kept simple but occasionally feature the addition of diced plantain. Green plantains are traditional but I like slightly ripe (but still firm) ones for a sweeter tropical flavor. Colombian bola roja beans—round red beans with a rich, sweet, nutty flavor—are ideal in this dish. Another bean to try is the Colombian favorite, cargamanto, also known as Roman beans. More brown than red, cargamantos look a little like pinto beans, and have a sweeter, earthier taste. Red kidney beans are tasty prepared this way, too.
 
Serve these beans with any rice, fried sweet plantains (sliced lengthwise down the center for two long pieces that will “frame” your dinner plate), a small arepa, a side of Tofu Chicharrones (page 101), and a crunchy cabbage-tomato salad for a meatless version of the Colombian national dish, Bandeja Paisa.
 
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.
DRUNKEN BEANS WITH SEITAN CHORIZO
 
 

Serves 6 alongside rice and/or tortillas

Time: About 2 hours precooking the dried beans and 45 minutes cooking the dish
 
 
These boozy beans are the
mas macho
of recipes but are perfect for the beer-loving lady (or guy) in your life. The ever-popular pinto bean gets a slow simmer in beer, a dash of tequila, roasted chiles, and seitan chorizo for a bold Tex-Mex-inspired pot o’ beans that is best served with a side of Homemade Soft Corn Tortillas (page 165) for mopping up all those tasty juices. Or lighten things up with a simple green cabbage salad (page 71), if you like. If you think I’m going to tell you these beans taste even better the next day, then you just read my mind, or it could be the beer talking!
 
Tip: I like to keep these beans saucy rather than soupy. If the beans are looking too liquidy (more than 2 inches of liquid covering), remove a few cups of liquid from the pot before adding the beer.
 
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
 
 
Garnish
 
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.)
COSTA RICAN REFRIED RICE AND BEANS (GALLO PINTO)
 
 

Serves 4 generously, or 6 as a side

Time: Less than 30 minutes, not including precooking the rice and beans
 
 
The perfect combination of beans and rice has a different name and personality in most every Latin American country. Costa Rica and Nicaraguan
gallo pinto
—literally “painted rooster”—is a remarkably satiating mix of precooked rice and beans “refried” with extra vegetables, herbs, and spices. I could eat
gallo pinto
for breakfast, lunch, or dinner with avocado, cabbage salad, sweet fried plantains, or just a dash of hot sauce.
 
Home-cooked black beans or small red beans (look for Central American red beans) are the first choice for
gallo pinto
, because the cooking liquid gives the refried rice and beans the proper color, flavor, and consistency. This is a meal where the bean-cooking liquid is important to the final dish; if you must use canned beans, use a combination of organic brands with little or no added salt and plus a good-quality vegetable broth.
 
 
Tip:
In Costa Rica,
gallo pinto
is often made with a healthy dollop of the regional favorite condiment, Salsa Lizano—a sweet, tangy sauce with plenty of cumin and tropical fruit. As of this writing, Salsa Lizano is vegan. If you don’t have a Central American community nearby, it can be hard to find, so this recipe uses Worcestershire sauce and additional cumin to mimic the flavor. If you score a bottle of real Salsa Lizano, use it to replace the Worcestershire sauce (or add more to taste) and consider cutting the ground cumin in half.
 
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.

Other books

Remember by Eileen Cook
Second Child by Saul, John
El zoo humano by Desmond Morris
Air Awakens Book One by Elise Kova
Bootscootin' Blahniks by D. D. Scott