Warm corn tortillas are filled with spiced black beans, a sweet seasonal salsa of persimmon and coriander, avocado slices and topped with a vegan lime cashew crema in these fresh tasting tacos. Serve on their own as a quick-ish weeknight meal or as part of a larger Mexican spread!
I’ve bought a few bags of persimmons week after week this Autumn, but this is the first time I’ve actually done something with them other than just munching on them when they were threatening to enter into their mushy phase of being, like the hachiya variety of persimmon (astringent – must be eaten when completely, and I mean completely, soft).
I really love persimmons. They taste like spice. Like nutmeg and cinnamon and clove. And a bit like pumpkin, but sweet and fruity with a pleasing crunch. Needless to say they are perfect for Autumnal cooking and baking, nature has a brilliant way of providing us with what we need and crave in any given season!
Black Bean Tacos with Persimmon Salsa + Lime Crema {vegan, GF}
Ingredients
beans
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large red onion finely diced
- 2 medium garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp coriander seeds lightly crushed in a mortar + pestle or food processor
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds lightly crushed in a mortar + pestle or food processor
- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
- small pinch cayenne pepper
- 2 tins black beans drained and rinsed well*
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt + more to taste
- a good few cracks of fresh black pepper about 1/4 tsp.
salsa
- 4 medium fuyu persimmons or another non‐astringent variety of persimmon peeled, ends and core removed and flesh cut into medium dice
- small bunch of coriander / cilantro leaves picked (about 1/2 cup packed) and finely chopped
- 2 spring onions ends trimmed, white and green parts finely chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- juice of 1/4 of a lime
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- a few cracks black pepper
crema
- 1 1/2 cup cashews soaked overnight in cold water or for 2–3 hours in just boiled water*
- 3/4 cup water
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- few cracks black pepper
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
to serve
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1 avocado seed removed, flesh cut into slices
- a handful of fresh coriander leaves
- quartered limes
- hot sauce optional
Instructions
beans
- Heat the olive oil in a wide shallow pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and minced garlic, cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft and slightly sticky, about 10 minutes (it should not brown – reduce the heat if it threatens to brown).Add the crushed coriander and cumin seeds, cinnamon and cayenne and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add the rinsed beans and stir to coat. Pour in the water, scraping the bottom of the pan to pick up any flavourful bits of onion and spice that are stuck to the bottom. Add the maple, lime juice, 3/4 tsp. sea salt and the pepper. Give it a good stir and bring to a simmer over medium‐high heat.Allow to simmer away, stirring often, until all of the liquid has reduced, about 15–20 minutes. Remove from the heat and give the beans a little mash with the bake of a wooden spoon. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed. Keep warm until you are ready to serve.
salsa
- Add all of the salsa ingredients to a bowl and stir everything together well with a spoon. Allow to sit for 10–15 minutes before serving to let the flavours mingle.
lime crema
- Add all of the ingredients to a blender, preferably a high‐speed blender, and blend on high speed until completely smooth and creamy. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed. Taste for seasoning and add more salt or lime juice if you feel it needs it. Scrape the crema into a bowl and allow to chill in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
to serve
- Heat a fry pan over high heat, and warm your tortillas, one at a time, for about 30 seconds‐1 minute on either side. I like to let mine get a little charred and slightly crisp in spots. Keep them warm in a stack on a plate covered with a tea towel (and in a warm oven if you are not serving straight away).
- Place everything on the table for people to serve themselves: top a tortilla with a scoop of spiced black beans, a spoonful of persimmon salsa, a couple of avocado slices, a drizzle of crema, a little handful of fresh coriander, a squeeze of lime and a splash of hot sauce if you are having it. EAT!
These tacos are relatively speedy to put together, so you can whip them up for a weeknight meal with ease. Let the beans simmer away and as they do you can quickly mix up the persimmon salsa and throw the ingredients for the crema in the blender. Warm the tortillas in a hot pan and put everything on the table for people to help themselves.
The beans are spiced with cumin, coriander, cinnamon, black pepper and cayenne and get an extra hit of flavour from a trickle of maple syrup and lime juice. They simmer away with some soft and sweet slowly cooked red onion and garlic, cooking down to create a hearty and comforting filling for your tacos.
The salsa is sweet from persimmon, tangy with lime and fresh thanks to a big hit of chopped coriander and spring onion. The lime crema brings it all together. Served with an extra squeeze of lime and a handful of coriander and perhaps a cold mexican beer and you are good to go! Serving these to people other than yourself is a good idea. They will like you more. Trust.
You could easily replace the fruit in the salsa for whatever is in season where you are – mango or kiwi fruit would be particularly welcome. Think softish-sweet-tangy tropical type fruits. Complex tasting fruits that sit well alongside savoury flavours. Persimmon is my favourite here though!
p.s. I’m taking over the feedfeed snapchat and ig stories for a little while this Sunday the 21st of May (ET) in the am – to show you how to make my Olive Oil Almond Bundt Cake with Berries + Basil Sugar! Get your ingredients ready, tune in and follow along so we can bake together!
