Adapted from a recipe by Chef Frederick Demers, Executive Chef, Café Martinique, Atlantis

At the restaurant, Chef Demers pairs the beans with pan-seared fish (see right). He also gives it a little extra kick with sake, truffle juice and some cinnamon, cloves and allspice. This version is easier (truffle juice?!) for the home cook and Chef likes to swap out tofu for the fish to make it a vegan dish.

Makes about 8 servings.
But you can make four servings and freeze half the beans (without the tofu) for later use in this dish, soups or salads.

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried black beans
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon peeled, diced ginger
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound firm tofu, rinsed drained and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 ounces lemon juice
• 1 ounce rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. Soak 1 pound (2 cups) beans six hours or overnight. Drain and rinse.

2. Cover beans with fresh water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, about 2-3 hours or until beans are tender.

3. In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and saute vegetables and ginger until soft. Add black beans and reduce heat to low, stirring to incorporate. Add, a little water if necessary to keep the beans from sticking. Remove from heat and cover.

4. In a medium sauce pan, heat remaining olive oil and sear tofu. Toss with lemon juice, rice vinegar, pepper flakes, cilantro. Serve tofu on top of beans. If desired, make more of the lemon juice mixture and serve extra on the side.