Posted by Chef Bob on July 07, 1997 at 17:39:07:
In Reply to: Dried Beans posted by Charles on June 18, 1997 at 12:27:02:
Chef Charles, don't know where you are physically, but down here in the deep south, Pea Cakes have been around for a while. The best profit maker I had in my last restaurant was "Black Eye Peacakes", served as an entree over rice with a veggie, or as an appetizer with only salsa.
Method: Put dried black eye peas and chopped onion in large pot with plenty of water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer ~2 hours until tender (you can add thyme or savory and red and black pepper at the start, but wait about until beans are somewhat tender to add salt, as adding it too early causes the beans to lose their skins). Cook beans till tender and as much of the water is reduced as possible, to the point the beans begin to stick to the bottom of the pan. Correct for seasoning at this point. Spray non-stick spray heavily in a shallow roasting pan and add the beans, spreading evenly. Bake this in a 300 degree oven until air holes appear, similar to rice when it is done. The object is to remove all the moisture possible, and it is strictly trial and error as to the length of time needed. Let the beans cool in the pan, mixing with a spoon occasionaly, until cool enough to handle. Pack the cooled beans in a container and refrigerate overnight (they will hold ~one week if covered tightly). Grab a hand full, and shape into a croquette, dust in cornmeal and saute in olive oil until browned on both sides (they can be finished in the oven to warm them through). I have tried other chef's peacakes bound with all sorts of stuff, but this method does not require any binding element. Again, it takes a little trial and error to get the right amount of moisture to be able to make croquettes that stay together. If they are too dry, simply wet your hands before molding. These are great for those customers who have very restrictive diets, and those ever pesky veg-heads who show up at the busiest times.
I always serve these topped with an arabesque of sour cream and sweet tomato salsa: Chopped fresh toms with green onions and cilantro, salt, pepper and cayenne (no hot peppers). I never quantitatively figured food cost on these, probably less than a dime per serving including garnish! I would ask ~$5 for an app, and $7 for an entree. This method does work well with black beans also. I would serve an ancho chili cream sauce with a black bean cake and dry rub BBQ Shrimp. Give this a try and let me know how it comes out. :-)Chef Bob
P.S. I have other uses for dried beans, let me know what type of operation you are in, and where you are physically, etc and I'll share some more.