Sequestration Meal #346

 

Sometime this winter, when some sort of intriguing psychological phenomenon inspired me to order a bunch of things to stock up my pantry with enough non-perishables for ages, I bought black beans with the intent of having this meal, a Haitian cornmeal porridge with black bean sauce and avocado (mayi moulen with sos pwa nwa, recipes I veganized from the New York Times). I don't know where I first encountered the concept. It just sounded so intriguing.

Sos pwa nwa took me relative ages to prepare and, although amazingly tasty, is probably not something I'd make again due to the sheer effort involved. It's one thing to ask me to cook beans from dry (I did take the short cut of putting everything into a crock pot, so I wouldn't have to babysit the beans); it's quite another to ask me to blend them up, force the mixture through a strainer, and boil it until it thickens to a gravy. Maybe I'd be more inclined to do that in the winter, which is when I think I bought the stuff--it was a long, dark winter and I kept my sanity in the ways I could.

But if someone offers to make this for you, accept. It does have a rich, satisfying taste and I can see why so many people think of it as Haitian comfort food. I did melt some Earth Balance on top because mine needed that, but then it was perfect. It's cornmeal mush with gravy, plus avocado--that's a formidable combination. And you might want to make it anyway--if you make a big batch of the bean sauce you can enjoy it for days. I certainly did, without getting tired of it.

If you do make this, I found the simplest and most delicious version of the porridge (which I had with the leftovers) was to cook instant polenta in unsweetened plant-based milk with some vegetable bouillon mixed in. If you want to take a few extra steps you can sauté some onion in butter before adding the almond milk.