This recipe caught my eye in the November 2008 issue of Food and Wine Magazine. It was accompanying a story about Rancho Gordo beans, an heirloom bean grower in Napa, California. When I dream about the food I miss from San Francisco, Rancho Gordo beans are right up there along with Miette gingerbread cupcakes and well, vegetables.
I like to serve these black bean cakes with a crunchy cole slaw, but they would also work as veggie burgers with a creamy sandwich spread, or for breakfast with a fried egg and a couple slices of avocado.
Thinking Ahead: The black beans are best soaked overnight before they are cooked, so plan accordingly. The cakes can be made up to a day in advance, just form them, cover and refrigerate. When you are ready to serve, remove from the fridge, fry and eat.
Black Bean and Farro Cakes Recipe
Yield:
8
Prep Time:
40 minutes
Cook Time:
1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time:
1 hour 50 minutes
Creamy black beans and chewy farro combine in these delicious vegetarian cakes that are pan-fried until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Adapted from Food and Wine Magazine
Ingredients
- 1 cup black beans, picked over and soaked overnight
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup farro
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Place beans in a large saucepan and cover them by a couple inches of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, about an hour. Season with salt and let sit for about 5 minutes, then drain.
- In a separate saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Add farro and toast, stirring constantly, until it starts to brown, about 2 minutes. Cover with water by a couple inches and season with salt. Simmer until grains have begun to pop open and are tender, about 30 minutes. Drain.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook until tender and starting to brown.
- Combine half of the beans, the farro, onion mixture, eggs, bread, 1 teaspoon of salt, and herbs in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse into a chunky puree and remove to a separate bowl. Add remaining black beans to food processor and pulse a couple of times to break up the beans. Add to bean mixture and stir to combine. Form the mixture into 8 large patties (about 1/2 cup each), cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.
- Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add half of the cakes and fry on one side until browned and crispy, about 4-5 minutes. Flip and repeat on the other side. Remove from pan and add remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to pan. Add remaining black bean cakes and fry until browned and crispy on both sides.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 208Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 118mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 6g
Previous
leave a reply