Mollie Katzen is one of the best-known writers of vegetarian cuisine. She wrote the classic Moosewood Cookbook (recently awarded the James Beard Foundation award for having a “significant and enduring impact on the way we cook and understand food") and is a co-founder of the Ithaca, N.Y. restaurant of the same name. Since creating Moosewood in 1977, she has authored nearly ten books showcasing the fresh flavours of vegetarian and pescatarian whole foods.
Ms. Katzen is a pescatarian who occasionally eats small amounts of chicken. Motivated by “eating low on the food chain” and supporting, clean, organic foods, her style has obviously caught the eye of other non-vegetarians too; she is on the Top Ten List of the New York Times’ bestselling authors of all time.
Mollie Katzen writes cookbooks geared to adults (Moosewood or Sunlight Café) and, uniquely, to children (Salad People, Honest Pretzels). While many of the “adult” recipes are complex, it is worth tracking down the exotic ingredients and preparing items in advance.
Black Beans in Mango Sauce is an easy dish to prepare. It entices out the subtle yet bold flavours of spicy jalapeno, neutral warm beans, and tangy mango with lime. The ingredients are common, but the finished product is far from it. Black Beans in Mango Sauce is glamorous enough to serve to friends, yet easy enough to whip up after work. Despite its novel flavour combination, it is extremely popular with non-vegetarians and the normally not-so-adventurous, too.
If the spice is too much, try serving with slices of cooling avocado.
Black Beans in Mango Sauce
A recipe adapted from Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Café, available from Mollie Katzen Online.
Reproduced with permission.
Preparation time: About 45 minutes (30 minutes of light work)
Yield: About 6 servings, depending on what else is served.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups minced red onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 3-inch jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 6 cups cooked black beans (3 15-ounce cans, rinsed and drained)
- 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 large ripe mangoes, minced
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Minced fresh cilantro (optional)
- Squeezable wedges of lime
Directions:
- Heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet. Add about 1 3/4 cups of the onion, and the garlic, chile, ginger, cumin seeds, and salt. Sauté over medium -high heat for about 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low, and add the black beans and about half the lime juice. Sauté for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until everything has mingled nicely, and the beans are heated through. Mash the beans slightly with the back of the spoon, and transfer to a bowl.
- Stir the remaining lime juice and about 2/3 of the chopped mangoes directly into the hot beans, mashing the mangoes a little as you stir. Grind in some black pepper, then cover and let stand for about 15 minutes to let the sauce develop.
- Serve warm, at room temperature--or even cold--topped with the remaining red onion and mango, and some minced cilantro, if desired. For a finishing touch, tuck a juicy wedge of lime on the side of each serving.
References:
- 10 Speed Press: Celebrating 30 Years of the Original Moosewood Cookbook!
- Molliekatzen.com: Mollie Katzen Online.
