Yucatan Black Bean Salad

My eating methodology is simple--if you consume something heavy (like Chicken Parmesan) one night, better follow it the next with lighter fare. How else might a woman keep her girlish form?

In agreement, my new roommate came up with this idea: buy a can of black beans for a salad. What a great idea!

However, being an aficionada, I find it is in the best interest of the meal itself to cook my own beans. They will be delicious and not as time consuming as one might think.

In the past, I would have made black beans the way I always have in Austin, which is probably a Diane Kennedy recipe. I learned to cook Mexican food at Fonda San Miguel way back in the day, and they adhere to a Northern Mexican tradition. However, here in the Crescent City, my friend, Caroline, showed me a Yucatan recipe with which I instantly fell in love.

Now you may say, why all that work just for a salad, and the answer is simple. Quality.

Out comes the stock pot. Into it, I place the sorted and rinsed black beans and a whole mess a water. I threw in about three bay leaves, some kosher salt, black pepper, about a third of a head of peeled garlic, roughly chopped, and an onion, also roughly chopped. Over the heat it goes, letting it come to a boil. If you are so fortunate as to have epazote on hand, by all means, introduce it to the pot, stem and all. This is a no fuss meal. I also added comino (cumin), extra virgin olive oil, and some red pepper flakes.

But here's a secret from the Yucatan: add equal portions of vinegar (I prefer cider but any vinegar will do) and orange juice. For a big pot of beans, that would be about a third to half a cup each.

Beans, like many other dishes, require acid. I have often made beans with all those ingredients excepting the vinegar and orange juice and have found it necessary to add a little wine. Wine, as you know, is my answer to everything.

But Caroline educated me on a more pure approach--purely Mexican, that is. In the Yucatan, food is often sweet because fruit abounds. Normally, in the Yucatan a bitter orange juice would be the sole additive, but in the absence of this extremely local ingredient, Caroline told me the orange juice/vinegar adaptation fits the bill. Wow, was she right. Muy delicioso.

So that's it. Done deal. Let the beans cook and cook until tender, adding more wates as necessary. I strained out enough for salad and put the rest away for another day.

Then all you have to do is make a quick salad. Use whatever you have on hand, I always say. Today, we used romaine lettuce, endive, carrots, broccoli, cucumber, roma tomatoes, and red bell pepper. The final touch were pickled peppers.

For salad dressing, a basic vinaigrette sufficed, as the beans were so full of flavor. Their richness satisfied the stomach. We felt lightly full and happy.