black bean burgers
When I first heard about the "Black Bean Episode," I thought maybe it was an hour long Food Network special. But wow, was I wrong. The "Black Bean Episode" actually titles a story from the time preceding the Mexican-American War, in which drawing a dreaded black bean from a bag of mostly white beans meant instant execution for captured soldiers.
The Mexican-American War officially began in 1846, but tensions between the two countries over the territory now known as Texas began brewing in the early 1840s. A couple of years before America annexed Texas in the name of manifest destiny in 1845, Texan militia were launching offensive expeditions against Mexican border settlements. The unsuccessful Mier Expedition to Ciudad Mier was one of such attacks. The expedition culminated in the Battle of Mier, where Texans were outnumbered ten to one and, ultimately, 176 were captured. These captured soldiers became the victims of the "Black Bean Episode."
Mexican Colonel Domingo Huerta filled a pot with 159 white beans and 17 black beans -- one bean for each captured Texan. Huerta lined up the prisoners, who he blindfolded, in alphabetical order and forced them to pick one bean each from the pot. Those unlucky soldiers who chose one of the 17 black beans were allowed to write letters home, and were subsequently executed by a firing squad.
The Americans who were killed in the Black Bean Episode never returned home, but other soldiers coming back from Mexico during this period brought the black bean to America for the first time. Though the Mexican-American War was a deathly conflict ignited by southern Americans' desire to fulfill manifest destiny and expand slavery, the black bean's journey north is a small victory for bean lovers everywhere. Below is a recipe for black bean burgers, symbolic of the integration of black beans into American cuisine!
Recipe
Ingredients
1 heaping cup black beans (dried)
10 oz mushrooms, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 flax egg* or egg
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Step 1
Cook black beans according to the Bean Cooking Guide.
Step 2
Preheat over to 400 degrees. Spread cooked beans out on a sheet pan and roast for 10 minutes, or until some of the beans start to explode. This removes some of their moisture to prevent the burgers from being mushy.
Step 3
While beans are roasting, saute onions and mushrooms together with oil until the onions are translucent.
Step 4
Add the roasted beans to a large bowl and lightly smash them with a fork, leaving some beans whole for texture.
Step 5
Add the onion and mushroom mixture, breadcrumbs, and egg to the bowl. If you're using a real egg, taste the mixture and season to taste before adding the egg. Mix the ingredients together until the mixture is combined enough that you can form patties with it. If it's too dry, add some more olive oil.
Step 6
Heat more oil in a pan. Form the mixture into burger sized patties and cook the patties in the pan for five minutes on each side.
Step 7
Add your favorite burger accoutrements and enjoy!
*To make a flax egg, combine 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal with 2.5 tablespoons of water and let rest for 5 minutes to thicken.
The Mexican-American War officially began in 1846, but tensions between the two countries over the territory now known as Texas began brewing in the early 1840s. A couple of years before America annexed Texas in the name of manifest destiny in 1845, Texan militia were launching offensive expeditions against Mexican border settlements. The unsuccessful Mier Expedition to Ciudad Mier was one of such attacks. The expedition culminated in the Battle of Mier, where Texans were outnumbered ten to one and, ultimately, 176 were captured. These captured soldiers became the victims of the "Black Bean Episode."
Mexican Colonel Domingo Huerta filled a pot with 159 white beans and 17 black beans -- one bean for each captured Texan. Huerta lined up the prisoners, who he blindfolded, in alphabetical order and forced them to pick one bean each from the pot. Those unlucky soldiers who chose one of the 17 black beans were allowed to write letters home, and were subsequently executed by a firing squad.
The Americans who were killed in the Black Bean Episode never returned home, but other soldiers coming back from Mexico during this period brought the black bean to America for the first time. Though the Mexican-American War was a deathly conflict ignited by southern Americans' desire to fulfill manifest destiny and expand slavery, the black bean's journey north is a small victory for bean lovers everywhere. Below is a recipe for black bean burgers, symbolic of the integration of black beans into American cuisine!
RecipeIngredients
1 heaping cup black beans (dried)
10 oz mushrooms, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 flax egg* or egg
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Step 1
Cook black beans according to the Bean Cooking Guide.
Step 2
Preheat over to 400 degrees. Spread cooked beans out on a sheet pan and roast for 10 minutes, or until some of the beans start to explode. This removes some of their moisture to prevent the burgers from being mushy.
Step 3
While beans are roasting, saute onions and mushrooms together with oil until the onions are translucent.
Step 4
Add the roasted beans to a large bowl and lightly smash them with a fork, leaving some beans whole for texture.
Step 5
Add the onion and mushroom mixture, breadcrumbs, and egg to the bowl. If you're using a real egg, taste the mixture and season to taste before adding the egg. Mix the ingredients together until the mixture is combined enough that you can form patties with it. If it's too dry, add some more olive oil.
Step 6
Heat more oil in a pan. Form the mixture into burger sized patties and cook the patties in the pan for five minutes on each side.
Step 7
Add your favorite burger accoutrements and enjoy!
*To make a flax egg, combine 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal with 2.5 tablespoons of water and let rest for 5 minutes to thicken.
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