We love putting the various Ankarsrum attachments to use when it comes to vegetables and side dishes. This black bean salad utilizes the slicer/shredder and blender attachment, is full of fresh summer flavors with a creamy avocado dressing, and can be eaten at room temperature or cold. The perfect hot weather food.
From AnkarsrumUSA recipe developer, Carmi Adams:
I’m going to break the recipe down by each component. First off, the beans. I am a dried bean kind of person. If you prefer to use canned, you will need 1200 g. (approximately 6 cups) drained/rinsed canned beans. And then you can skip all the steps for cooking beans.
I always soak dried beans before I cook them. It makes them easier to digest. Soak anywhere from 8-15 hours. Overnight soaking is best, then the beans can be cooked off in the morning before it gets too hot.
I used to cook my beans on the stovetop. Then I received one of those ad magazines from Milk Street in the mail and it had a little blurb about cooking beans in the oven. Evenly cooked texture and low and slow cooking to maximize flavor won my whole family over. So now I do it that way.
Next we have the quick pickled jicama. Jicama tastes kinda like a potato with a bit of apple thrown in. Rather bland, but nice and crunchy and full of vitamin C. I used the grater attachment on the jicama.
This makes more jicama than the recipe calls for. But quick pickled veggies will last for months in the refrigerator, and are an easy way to add lots of flavor to salads, sandwiches, tacos, burritos, etc.
For the dressing, a variety of fresh herbs are used, along with avocado and buttermilk. The blender attachment whirls it all together in no time. Feel free to swap out for your favorite fresh herbs.
Last we have carrots. Zucchini, yellow squash or even cucumber could be used as well. The slicer attachment was used for the carrots.
The beans, carrots, jicama and red onion can all be tossed together and placed in the refrigerator for up to 6 hours in advance. Add dressing right before serving. Or serve alongside and let people use the amount of dressing they prefer.
Black Bean Salad
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Inactive Time: 8-15 hours (dried bean soaking)
Jicama:
703 g. (approximately 1 1/2 pounds) jicama
480 g. (2 cups) water
480 g. (2 cups) distilled white vinegar
24 g. (2 Tbsp.) kosher salt
3 g. (1/2 tsp.) sugar
Beans:
454 g. (1 pound) dried black beans
water to cover
1440 g. (6 cups) water
1 small onion or half a large onion, quartered
2 small celery stalks, chopped into large pieces
4 small carrots, chopped into large pieces
2 garlic cloves, peeled and slightly smashed
2 bay leaves
2 g. (1/2 tsp.) kosher salt
Dressing:
390 g. (1 1/2 cups) buttermilk
juice from 1 lemon
9 g. (3 Tbsp. roughly chopped) fresh chives
25 g. (1 cup loosely packed) fresh basil
5 g. (2 Tbsp. chopped) fresh parsley
2 g. (1 Tbsp. chopped) fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic, peeled
hot sauce to taste, optional
2 g. (1/2 tsp.) kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 medium avocado, pit and peel removed
Additional Ingredients:
4 small carrots
48 g. (1/2 cup) chopped red onion
fresh herbs and additional avocado for topping, optional
For the jicama:
Set up the Ankarsrum mixer base with the grater attachment and the regular size grating drum. Peel jicama and cut into pieces that will fit through attachment. Place a large bowl underneath to catch grated jicama. Turn speed on to high (6 o’clock) and use the plunger to push jicama through.
Place grated jicama into a quart size heat-proof container.
Bring water, vinegar, salt and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. As soon as mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat and pour over jicama. Place in refrigerator, uncovered, until jicama cools down. Once cool, cover and store in refrigerator for several months. Best if allowed to sit for at least a day before using.
For the beans:
Place dried beans in a large bowl. Cover with enough water so submerged by several inches. Cover bowl and let beans soak for 8-15 hours.
Once beans have soaked, drain and rinse.
Preheat oven to 250º F.
Place soaked beans and the rest of the ingredients for the beans into a large 6-8 quart oven safe pot with a lid. Bring to a boil over high heat on the stovetop. Cover and place in oven and cook for 2 hours. Remove lid and cook an additional hour or until beans are desired doneness.
Let beans slightly cool. Remove vegetables and bay leaves. Drain beans and place in a large container until ready to use. Can be made 1 day in advance. If making in advance, don’t drain until right before using. This will keep the beans from drying out.
For the dressing:
Place all of the dressing ingredients, except for the avocado, into a blender. Blend on high speed until herbs are fully pureed into buttermilk. Add avocado and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
For the carrots:
Set up the Ankarsrum mixer base with the slicer attachment. Place a bowl underneath to catch sliced carrots. Peel and trim tops and ends off carrots. Use the plunger to push carrots through attachment.
To assemble:
In a large bowl combine the beans, 210 g. (1 1/2 cups) pickled jicama, sliced carrots and chopped red onion. Add as much dressing as desired or serve on the side. If desired, top with sliced avocado and fresh herbs.
Yield: 10-12 servings.
