Bocoles (Masa and Black Bean Cakes) with Spicy Yams - Recipe

 
Bocoles (Masa and Black Bean Cakes) with Spicy Yams

Bocoloes are little pan-fried cake of masa and mashed black beans, typically served as an antojito (appetizer). I learned about them from Diana Kennedy's magnificient My Mexico and thought that I could replace the pork filling with yams, increase the portion, and make an unusual and delicious vegetarian entree.

The cakes came out great; they fry up with a crispy exterior and somewhat creamy inside. If you have had an Indian dosa, which is made from a lentil batter, the crust is kind of like that. Both of my kids loved them too, which was a nice bonus. The older one now calls them "yummy cakes" and is lobbying for a repeat performance.

I served the bocoles with this refreshing jicama, radish and orange salad, and a spoonful of homemade pipian, a type of mole made with pumpkin seeds (pepitas).

Fresh masa is a delight to work with, much nicer than dough made from dry masa harina. Your best bet for finding it is to locate a place that makes fresh corn tortillas (a tortilleria). That should be easy in parts of the country that have large Mexican populations. In Seattle I've had luck at La Bendicion on Beacon Hill, if I ask a day in advance, or I hear you can get it at the The Mexican Grocery in Pike Place. If you don't have fresh masa, just buy masa harina flour and mix it according to the package directions for tortillas.

I also bought pre-made Ducal-brand refried black beans. If you don't have that, simply fry some onion and garlic with canned black beans and then thoroughly puree them with enough liquid to make a smooth paste.

Bocoles (Masa and Black Bean Cakes) with Spicy Yams
Serves 6 as an entree or 12 as an appetizer
Vegetarian, vegan if you omit the crema, and gluten-free

For the yam filling:

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 white onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium yams, peeled and finely diced (see below)
• 2 or more jalapeno peppers, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• salt

For the bocoles:

• 2 pounds (about 4 cups) masa or prepared masa harina, no wetter than necessary
• 2 cups refried black beans (Ducal brand is good or make your own)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• salt
• oil for pan frying

For serving:

• shredded romaine lettuce hearts
• crema or sour cream
• salsa or jicama salad
• optional: mole or pipian sauce

1. The easiest way to cut the yams is to make strips using a mandoline and then use a knife to cut the strips into very small cubes. Heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium flame. Saute the onion and garlic for 1 minute. Add the yams, jalapeno and cumin and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the yams are fully tender. Taste and adjust seasoning - they will likely need more salt. Feel free to make the filling spicier if that suits you.
2. Thoroughly mix the masa, refried beans, baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Taste and add more salt if needed. Heat 1/8" of oil in a large skillet over a medium flame. Make golf-ball sized balls of the dough and pat them between your hands into a pancake about 1/4" thick or so. Fry for about 3 or 4 minutes until brown on the outside and cooked but still soft on the inside. Diana Kennedy says 7 minutes per side but I found it didn't it take that long; try a tester and see what you like best.
3. Serve as soon as possible, on a bed of shredded lettuce, topped with a generous amount of the yam filling, and garnished with crema. Pass the salad or salsa and optional mole on the side.

The Adaptable Feast - Cookbook Review and a Chance to Win a Copy

I "met" Ivy Manning when my wife gave me her terrific first cookbook. Since then, we've become frequent visitors to each other's blogs, and we keep up on Twitter as well. (Come follow me or Ivy, we'd love to hear from you).

We've discovered that although she's an omnivore and I'm a vegetarian, our taste in food has a lot in common. Both of us love fresh, seasonal produce, preferably from local farms. And we both make dishes from all over the world, but tend to prefer fairly authentic approaches, not wild substitutions for simplicity or garish flavor combinations.

Naturally I've been awaiting Ivy's next book, and now it is here. As far as I know, The Adaptable Feast is the first book to directly address the problem of making great meals for families that have a mix of omnivores and vegetarians or vegans. The idea was born from her own personal need; Ivy's husband is a committed vegetarian.

I think many families find themselves in this situation. Whether it is the cliche of a college student coming home for winter break having freshly gone veg, or a traditional Thanksgiving with a few of us herbivores mixed in, many cooks who prepare meat need ways to offer a meatless option.

Ivy has completely thought through each of these recipes and worked out a system for how to make one main preparation, segregate and finish a vegetarian portion and then complete the omnivorous recipe. Both groups will find that they have a delicious, flavorful, satisfying dish. You might just find the meat eaters begging for access to the vegetarian half!

I've already made one recipe from the book, for a Malaysian-style red curry paste, and it was superb. I'll be posting a dish based on it in the next few days.

Sasquatch Books has offered a free copy of The Adaptable Feast to one lucky Herbivoracious reader. All you have to do is make a comment below. Tell us your favorite cookbook, and why it is your favorite. Next Wednesday I'll pick a winner at random from all of the comments and arrange to send them the book. To enter you must leave a comment; sending me a tweet, reply on StumbleUpon etc. won't count.

Update 10/4/09: And the winner is commenter #7, Heather, who's favorite cookbook is Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian. Thanks everyone for entering! And if you didn't win, I highly recommend purchasing Ivy's book - here's the link:

Vegetarian Minestrone - Recipe

 
Vegetarian Minestrone

Homemade minestrone has got to be one of the best rainy day foods in the world. Living in Seattle we've got ample opportunity to test that theory. It is certainly miles beyond the canned version. Add a glass of wine and a couple of big garlicky croutons to soak up the broth, maybe a salad, and you have a whole meal. 

The version of minestrone I always come back to is based on Marcella Hazan's Minestrone alla Romagnola recipe in Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. I've just streamlined it a bit  (soaking zucchini? why?) and omitted the beef broth to make it vegetarian. I think you will find that it is equally delicious with the simple tomatoey broth, especially if you include the parmesan rind.

The what? That's right, the parmesan rind. You know when you buy a piece of parmigiano-reggiano, there is always that piece at the end that is too hard to grate? Scrub those a bit and throw them in the freezer. Then, when you are ready to make minestrone, toss it in the pot. While the soup simmers, all that incredible flavor extracts out, filling the soup with umami. (Of course you can omit this for a vegan version.)

You can toss this soup together and let it simmer for just an hour, and it will be good. But if you can let it simmer for two or three hours, the flavor will truly develop. Even better, make it a day ahead of time and reheat it. I haven't been able to track down the science behind it, but umami rich foods, and tomato-flavored foods in particular always improve after 24 hours. If anyone has seen any research on this, please let me know.

As Marcella points out, this is one of those lovely dishes that doesn't require perfect advance preparation. You can easily prepare and cut each vegetable as the previous one is added to the pot and sauteed. I find that the recipe below fits just right in my beloved 5.5 quart Le Creuset pot.

Vegetarian Minestrone
Serves 6-8 as a main course
Vegetarian; gluten-free if you omit the crouton; vegan if you omit the cheese

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1-2 medium carrots, small dice
• 3 stalks celery, small dice (reserve leaves for garnish)
• 2 cups small diced waxy potatoes, skin on
• 1 handful green beans, ends trimmed, cut in 1/2" lengths
• 3 medium zucchini, small dice
• 3 cups finely shredded cabbage (Savoy or green)
• 1 15 oz. can cannelini or white navy beans, drained and rinsed
• 1-2 tablespoons vegetable broth powder; I like Seitenbacher (double check gluten free / vegan status if important to you). Don't be tempted to use a thick vegetarian broth; you can use a pre-mixed one as long as it is a clear brown type that tastes good.
• 1 parmesan rind (see above)
• 1 15 oz. can good quality whole Italian tomatoes with juice
• salt
• 1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano
• big garlic-butter croutons for serving (optional)

1. Heat the pot and the olive oil over a medium-low flame. Add the onion and a big pinch of salt and saute for 3 minutes. Add each of the following ingredients in turn, tossing and allowing to cook for 2-3 minutes after each one: carrots, celery, potatoes, green beans, zucchini, cabbage. Cook for 5 more minutes.
2. Stir the broth powder into 6 cups of water and add to the pot. Add the parmesan rind. Add the tomatoes and their juice, and break them up a bit. Taste and add a little salt, with caution.
3. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cook for at least another 30 minutes and preferably up to 2 1/2 hours. Uncover, add the beans, and simmer for another 15-30 minutes. If it is getting too thick, add a bit more broth or water. If it is too thin, raise the heat just a little - don't boil hard or the vegetables will break up.
4. To serve, discard the parmesan rind and stir in the grated cheese; taste and salt as needed. Ladle into soup bowls, garnish with the reserved celery leaves and a couple of the garlic-butter croutons. Pass more grated parmesan at the table. You might also like a little additional drizzle of good olive oil.