Hunger set in Friday night and no groceries except a can of black beans. I threw this dish together with ingredients from my spice collection. OK… no groceries but I always have evoo, onions, garlic, and of course frozen sprouted grain corn tortillas on hand. The olive oil and onions give it that schmalzy taste that you get from chopped liver or chicken liver pate (giving this post a hint of refinement here with the use of the word pate). It was really so tasty. Black beans are loaded with fibre and no guilty cholesterol worries. Allepo pepper is a wonderful milder spicy pepper found in the Aleppo region in the middle east. I used the cumin whole, but if you don’t like to take a crunch into the heat of that seed, then grind it in the spice grinder or pound in that motor and pestle collecting dust on your counter. There is absolutely no substitution for the aroma and taste of freshly ground spices.
This creation has been my lunch and dinner for the past few days until I get out to do that grocery shopping. A couple of dollops as a side to low fat blintzes last night. As a shmear on a Gryfe’s flaxseed bagel the night before that… you get the idea. This spread is so versatile and packed full of nutritious goodness. It’s amazing what you can do with the last few food items in your pantry, fridge, or freezer.
Schmaltzy Black Bean Pate Without Schmaltz
Makes about 2 cups
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or more…don’t skimp) 1 onion, chopped 1 large garlic clove, minced 1 teaspoon dried chili pepper, ground (we used ground Aleppo pepper found in middle eastern markets) ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, freshly ground or whole 1 19 fl oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
Heat oil in a small saucepan
Add onion and cook until soft
Add the garlic
Add the red pepper and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes
Take off heat and add the black beans
Puree mixture with an emersion blender or in a food processor
Serve with crudités, whole grain chips of your choice, or toast points…yoghurt, your favourite salsa, and fresh corn
Serving suggestion: Cut sprouted whole grain corn tortillas into wedges. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse kosher salt. Toast in toaster oven or oven at 350 degrees F until golden brown. Less than 5 minutes.