Black Bean Fritters

To accompany the delicious chicken rolls that Pam prepared (and about which she will be blogging separately), I prepared black bean fritters, which I found after a pleasant perusal of Intercourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook. It is part of an entire section that extols the sensual and culinary properties of a bean that has, at times, been forbidden in the diets of the chaste.

The recipe (page 76) calls for diced zucchini and bell peppers, which I prepared ahead of time, along with dry ingredients to make a sort of dough. I doubled the recipe because I realized that one can of Goya black beans would provide twice what I needed. The combination of tender beans, a bit of dough, and the succulent peppers was perfect. The overall effect is something like falafel, but with more complex flavors and textures.

For some reason, I did not make the tropical vinaigrette (page 77) that was supposed to top these fritters. Honestly, it is probably just that I generally don't think much of vinaigrettes, and I confess that I did not even read closely enough to realize that this one would have been good. Instead, we just served it with sour cream (ruining the otherwise vegan status of this dish). At the last minute, I remembered the Karoo Kafe fruit chutney that Pam had opened recently for our Oprah's turkey burgers. It was another perfect opportunity to show off the hot-sweet flavor of this South African specialty!