Golden Leftovers

Caribbean, Central American and South American foods offer a wealth of rich flavors, heady spices and unusual, yet available, ingredients to explore.

And Douglas Rodriguez is a willing tour guide.

Rodriguez, a first-generation Cuban American and chef at New York’s Patria restaurant, makes empanadas, an Argentine favorite, with a crab meat filling and remoulade sauce with pickled garlic; he does a variation of Cuban pork sandwiches with Gouda cheese and papaya-mustard salsa, and his guava-glazed barbecued ribs are a favorite among his customers.

His recipes are inspired by the fine home cooking he has sampled in his extensive travels. In his cookbook, “Nuevo Latino: Recipes That Celebrate the New Latin-American Cuisine” (Ten Speed Press, 1995), he writes: “I have been eating and cooking with Latin ingredients--beans, rice, tubers and salsa--my entire life. These ingredient are the basics in most South and Central American countries, and even though they are considered the common man’s foods, I have endeavored to bring new meaning to them . . . through my cuisine.”

One of my favorite recipes from his cookbook is for rice cakes, which Rodriguez recommends as a way to use leftover rice. I prepare these golden herbed cakes when I want something hearty that’s a change from pasta. Because black beans are the usual accompaniment, a black bean salad is the perfect match.

RICE CAKES

To make a lower-cholesterol version of this dish, omit the bacon and fry the rice cakes in 1 tablespoon olive oil.

1 1/2 cups cooked rice

1/4 cup flour

2 tablespoons minced green onion

1/4 teaspoon crushed dried thyme

1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped

1 egg, beaten

1 egg white

2 tablespoons whipping cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pepper

3 slices bacon

2 tablespoons sour cream

Combine rice, flour, green onion, thyme, tomato, egg, egg white, cream, salt and pepper to taste in bowl. Mix well. Set aside.

Fry bacon in large skillet until crisp. Remove to plate lined with paper towel and set aside.

Drop rice batter into skillet with hot bacon fat in 6 dollops. Press down with back of spoon to create cakes 1/2-inch thick. Fry until golden on underside, about 5 minutes. Turn and fry second side until golden, 3 to 5 minutes longer.

Drain rice cakes on plate lined with paper towel. Divide rice cakes between 2 plates. Crumble bacon and sprinkle over cakes. Top with sour cream or serve on the side. Serve hot.

2 servings. Each serving:

441 calories; 436 mg sodium; 138 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 60 grams carbohydrates; 13 grams protein; 0.55 gram fiber.

BLACK BEAN SALAD

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed (1 1/2 cups)

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup diced red onion

1 tablespoon minced cilantro

1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Place beans, red bell pepper, onion and cilantro in salad bowl.

Stir together cumin seeds, vinegar and oil in cup. Pour over bean mixture and stir gently to coat. Season with pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.

2 servings. Each serving:

606 calories; 9 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 96 grams carbohydrates; 32 grams protein; 8.02 grams fiber.