Mexican Black Bean Bake
with Buckwheat and Crème Fraîche
The star of tonight’s dish is ultra-nutritious, super-tasty buckwheat. It's misleadingly named since it's not wheat at all. It's not even a grain. In fact, it's a seed and is related to rhubarb! It's popular in Japan in the form of soba noodles and the French turn it into savoury pancakes called 'galettes'. We love buckwheat's nutty flavour and today we'll be enjoying it in this Mexican-inspired bake.
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.
Ingredients
1
Red Pepper
1
Yellow Pepper
½
Vegetable Stock Pot
(Contains Celery, Sulphites)
150
Buckwheat
1
Red Onion
½
Green Bullet Chilli
60
Mature Cheddar Cheese
(Contains Milk)
½
Chives
1
Black Beans
½
Cumin
½
Mild Paprika
½
Ground Cinnamon
1
Creme Fraiche
(Contains Milk)
Not included in your delivery
275
Water
Nutritional information
Utensils
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 220°C. Halve, then remove the cores from the red and yellow peppers and chop into 2cm pieces. Place the peppers on a lined baking tray and drizzle over a splash of oil. Roast on the top shelf of your oven until slightly crispy at the edges, 15 mins.
Meanwhile, boil the water (amount specified in the ingredient list) in a large saucepan and stir in the the vegetable stock pot. Add the buckwheat. Bring back to the boil and cover with a lid. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Then remove from the heat and set aside (don’t take off the lid!). TIP: The buckwheat is cooked when soft enough to eat - it won't be mushy though, it should retain a slight nuttiness!
Halve, peel and finely chop the red onion. Halve the green chilli lengthways, deseed and finely chop. Grate the cheddar cheese. Roughly chop the chives or snip them with a pair of scissors. Drain and rinse the black beans in a sieve.
Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, 5 mins. Add the chilli, cumin, paprika and cinnamon. Cook for 1 minute more. TIP: Some like it hot but if you don't, just add less chilli! Add the black beans and season with salt and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute more, then remove from the heat.
Once the buckwheat is done (it should be dry not soggy), fluff it up with a fork to separate the grains. Combine with your black bean mixture. Add the roasted peppers and stir through half the crème fraîche. Taste for seasoning and add more salt or black pepper if necessary.
Tip the buckwheat and black bean mixture into an ovenproof dish and top with the cheese. Place on the top shelf of your oven. Bake until the top is beautifully golden and crisp, about 10 mins. Serve with a big dollop of crème fraîche and a scattering of chives. Enjoy!
