Vegetarian Black BeansSince Chipotle Mexican Grill uses toasted cumin seeds I have include a tip on toasting whole cumin seed at the end of the recipes to help this taste more like the restaurant chains version.
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INGREDIENTS:
.1 pound dried black beans
1 green bell peppers, halved and seeded
8 cups water
1 medium onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon whole cumin seed - toasted* (see note)
1 bay leaf
salt to taste
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
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DIRECTIONS:
DIRECTIONS:
Clean and sort beans, discarding and moldy, broken beans,small rocks, and clumps of dirt. See note below on Cleaning and Soaking beans.**
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After cleaning, sorting and soaking beans, drain beans and cover with 8 cups (approx) fresh water. Simmer, covered for approximately 1 1/2 hours, or until the beans are almost tender.
After cleaning, sorting and soaking beans, drain beans and cover with 8 cups (approx) fresh water. Simmer, covered for approximately 1 1/2 hours, or until the beans are almost tender.
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Combine green bell pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, bay leaf and a little of the cooking water in a blender. Blend on low until the mixture is smooth.
Combine green bell pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, bay leaf and a little of the cooking water in a blender. Blend on low until the mixture is smooth.
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Add blended mixture to the beans. Bring to a boil again, then reduce heat to simmer.
Add blended mixture to the beans. Bring to a boil again, then reduce heat to simmer.
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Add salt, sherry, and vinegar. Simmer, uncovered, until the bean mixture becomes thick, about 2 hours.
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Add olive oil immediately before serving.
Add olive oil immediately before serving.
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* Toasting Cumin Seed:
* Toasting Cumin Seed:
Toasting whole cumin seed will add a flavor boost to this recipe. To toast, place in a dry skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Grind in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
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**Cleaning and Soaking Beans
Cleaning before cooking, be sure to pick through the beans, picking out any small pebbles, split and withered beans, moldy beans and any other foreign matter.
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Soaking Black beans, like all dried beans, can be soaked before cooking. This hydration helps to reduce the cooking time, but does affect nutrient content and flavor adversely. Because they are small, 4 hours soaking in cold water should suffice. Drain, and cook as per recipe. If you don't have the time, boil the beans in water for 1-3 minutes, turn off heat, cover the pot and let them sit for one hour. Drain and proceed as per recipe. However, there is a problem with this quick soaking (boiling for 1-3 minutes) method. Hot water increases the solubility of the water soluble nutrients, and softens the cell membranes of the beans, further accelerating the loss of these nutrients. This should be a consideration, because of the long cooking time during which more nutrients are lost. Cold soaked and cooked at a very gentle simmer, beans retain most of their nutrients, which are considerable.
Soaking Black beans, like all dried beans, can be soaked before cooking. This hydration helps to reduce the cooking time, but does affect nutrient content and flavor adversely. Because they are small, 4 hours soaking in cold water should suffice. Drain, and cook as per recipe. If you don't have the time, boil the beans in water for 1-3 minutes, turn off heat, cover the pot and let them sit for one hour. Drain and proceed as per recipe. However, there is a problem with this quick soaking (boiling for 1-3 minutes) method. Hot water increases the solubility of the water soluble nutrients, and softens the cell membranes of the beans, further accelerating the loss of these nutrients. This should be a consideration, because of the long cooking time during which more nutrients are lost. Cold soaked and cooked at a very gentle simmer, beans retain most of their nutrients, which are considerable.
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