Black Bean Sofrito

For dinner last night, I made Black Bean Sofrito from The Vegetarian Family Cookbook. This was very yummy and pretty easy to make. Mike liked it more than I did, but I did enjoy it, so I'll probably make it again. I used a 10-minute bag of brown rice for the rice the recipe calls for, and that went with it quite nicely. I also had run out of cumin, sadly, so I tossed in a little coriander and some chili powder instead.

Black Bean Sofrito
1 tablespoon light or extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 t0 4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 medium green bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 medium red bell pepper, finely diced
4 cups cooked black beans (from 1 1/3 cups dried) or two 16-ounce cans, drained and rinsed
1 large firm, ripe tomato, finely diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Juice of 1/2 lime or lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, optional
Hot cooked brown rice

1) Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and the bell peppers and continue to saute until softened and the onion is golden.
2) Add the beans, tomato, cumin, oregano, and lime juice along with 1/3 cup water. Bring to a simmer.
3) Mash a small amount of the black beans with the back of a wooden spoon, just enough to make a thick sauce. Cover and simmer gently over low heat for 10 minutes.
4) Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the cilantro, if using. Serve over hot rice.
4 to 6 servings.