Caribbean Black Bean Stew

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             FOOD FUNNY
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Here's a classic food funny from Rosemary Zwick in Cape Town, South Africa

A man was driving down a country road one day at 45 miles per hour when
suddenly he noticed a three-legged turkey running at the same speed
beside his truck. Though he thought this odd, the man decided to speed
up so he wouldn't cause an accident with the turkey.

The man sped up to 55 miles per hour, but low and behold, so did the
three-legged turkey. The man then sped up to 65 miles per hour only to
again be equaled in speed by the three-legged turkey.

As the man watched in amazement, the turkey suddenly made a sharp left
turn and took off down a side road toward a small farm. The man quickly
also made the left turn and followed the turkey to the small farm, parking out front.

Looking around the man found the farmer around back in the midst of many
three-legged turkeys. After greeting the farmer, the man asked him why
he was raising three-legged turkeys.

"Well we figure," said the farmer, "that with an average family of three
people, only two can have a turkey leg with an average turkey. But with
a three-legged turkey, each member of the family can enjoy a turkey leg
for of their own on Thanksgiving."

"That's pretty wise," said the man, who then asked "Well how do your
three-legged turkeys taste?"

"I don't know," said the farmer. "We've never been able to catch one."

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             TODAY'S RECIPE
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The tang of the citrus gives this otherwise fairly traditional
Southwestern-style chili a taste of the Caribbean.

Caribbean Black Bean Stew

2 Tbs (30 ml) vegetable oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3-4 chopped fresh jalapeno chiles, or to taste
2 15-oz (425 g each) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz (425 g) can chopped tomatoes with their liquid
2 cups (500 ml) water
3/4 cup (180 ml) orange juice
1/4 cup (60 ml) lime or lemon juice
2 Tbs (30 ml) chili powder
2 Tbs (30 ml) ground cumin
2 tsp (10 ml) grated orange zest
1 tsp (5 ml) grated lime or lemon zest
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Optional garnishes:
Sour cream
Chopped cilantro (coriander leaves)
Chopped scallions (spring onions)
Lime wedges

Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over moderate heat and saute the
onions until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and
jalapenos and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the
remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer
covered for 30 to 45 minutes. If you would like a thicker stew, mash
some of the beans against the side of the pot with the back of a spoon
and stir them into the mixture. Serve with any or all of the optional garnishes if desired.
Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Wed Mar 26 19:38:01 2008