2 (15-ounce) cans pinto* beans, drained
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon dried dill
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon harissa**, plus more for serving
1 lemon
1 egg
cooking oil***
sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt, for serving
Step 1
Place the drained beans in a large bowl and crush using a fork or potato masher until coarsely mashed.
In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch, dill, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir into the beans. Then stir in the harissa. (Alternatively, you can incorporate all ingredients using a food processor and pulse to combine.)
Step 2
Zest the lemon and stir the zest into the bean mixture. Slice the bare lemon into wedges and refrigerate for later serving.
Step 3
In a small bowl, beat the egg and fold it into the bean mixture. Cover the mixture and refrigerate to chill slightly, at least 15 minutes, before shaping and baking.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Line 2 baking sheets with foil. Then spray with cooking oil or pour 2 tablespoons of oil on each sheet.
Measure 1/4 cup of the bean mixture and drop onto the baking sheet. Press with a spoon to flatten until it’s about the size of a thin hamburger (about 1/4 inch). Repeat until you’ve used all the bean mixture — makes about 8 bean cakes.
Step 5
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn up to 425 and bake for another 10. Remove baking sheet and flip bean cakes. Return to oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
Step 6
Serve baked bean cakes with lemon wedges on the side.
Also serve the sour cream or Greek yogurt and additional harissa on the side, for dipping.
Notes:
*If you prefer, you can substitute black-eyed peas, chickpeas, kidney or black beans for the pinto beans.
**I use Mina brand harissa, spicy version (They also make a mild version). Harissa is found in the condiments aisle of the grocery store, along with other hot sauces.
***Use oil that has a high smoke point (canola, sunflower, avocado, peanut).
Not sure if I like these. Issues:
- The original recipe called for 2 teaspoons of salt which was WAY too salty and overpowered all the spices, so I edited the recipe to use 1/2 teaspoon in the future.
- The sour cream or yogurt really helped. Even with reduced salt, I think the sour cream or yogurt is a good idea.
- The lemon flavor was plenty strong with the zest. I don’t think it’s necessary to serve lemon slices on the side.
- I used cooking spray and the bean cakes stuck to the aluminum foil. Next time I should either pour the oil on the foil or use a lot more cooking spray. Non-stick aluminum foil also might help.