Black bean cake

4 cakes

Ingredients

QuantityIngredient
1tablespoonAncho Chile Powder
1tablespoonGround Cumin
1smallHot Green Chile; stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
½cupCilantro Leaves; coarsely chopped
¾teaspoonSalt
½cupSour Cream
1tablespoonMilk
¼cupRendered Duck Fat; Lard or Olive Oil
¼cupSalsa
24Sprigs Cilantro; washed and spun dry
½poundsBlack Turtle Beans
½Onion; chopped
½Carrot; peeled and chopped
1smallStalk Celery; chopped
3Cloves Garlic
½teaspoonThyme
1Bay Leaf
1Ham Bone
quartChicken Stock

Directions

COOKED BLACK BEANS

Rinse and sort the beans. Soak overnight in cold water; drain. Put bans in a large heavy pot, add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, ham bone and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Simmer slowly, loosely covered, until the beans are tender, about 2 hours. Add more stock if the level falls below the surface of the beans, and stir often to prevent sticking and to ensure that the beans cook evenly.

Let drain for about 2 hours. Don't worry if they look terrible after sitting that long. (Save the drained liquid for soup.) Put the drained beans through a meat grinder or food mill, then mix to a paste with the chile powder, cumin, fresh chile, cilantro leaves and salt. Roll the paste into 4 equal balls. Put each ball between 2 pieces of waxed paper and press them into rounds ⅛" thick with the palm of your hand. Set aside.

Whisk the sour cream with the milk until smooth. Heat the duck fat in a crepe or nonstick pan or on a griddle. When the pan is hot, put in the cakes and cook 2 minutes on each side. Put the cakes on warm plates and spoon the sour cream on the center of each cake. Spoon the salsa on the sour cream. Garnish the plates with the cilantro sprigs.

Per Cake: 365 calories, 16 g protein, 39 g carbohydrate, 17 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 23 mg cholesterol, 443 mg sodium, 12 g fiber.

Source:San Francisco Chronicle Posted by Katherine Smith Kook-Net: The Shadow Zone IV - Stinson Beach, CA