Spicy Black Beans with Fresh Plums

(from Almost Vegetarian by Diana Shaw)

I feel a bit guilty when I cook with fruit, as if I'm trying to double up on dessert. Well, maybe so. But it's a self-justifying transgression and a nutritious one as well, as you'll discover when you try this luscious lunch or supper dish.

60 minutes start to finish

• 4 sweet plums, such as black friars or Santa Rosa
• 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large red pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
• 1 large yellow pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon light honey
• 2 cups cooked black beans, well drained (rinsed if canned)
• Salt to taste
• 3 cups cooked white rice (optional)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the plums and boil for 1 minute to loosen the skin. Remove the plums with a slotted spoon and set them aside to cool.

Melt the buttter in a large skillet. Add the onion, red and yellow peppers, garlic, cloves, cumin, oregano, cayenne peepr, and cilantro. Saute over medium heat, stirring often, until the onion is soft and translucent, about 7 minutes.

Peel the plums, remove the pits, and coarsely chop the pulp.

Stir the lemon juice, honey, and plum pulp into the onion mixture. Add the beans, stir, and cover. Turn the heat down to low and continue to cook until the peppers are soft, stirring often to prevent sticking, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and serve warm, over rice if desired.

[I find it too hard to attend to the onions while peeling & and chopping the plums. So I finish preparing them before I start the onion.]