Black Bean Chili

Don't follow this recipe too closely - everything is just a guesstimate of how much and how long - chili is about taking the time to develop flavors, and this recipe will get you in the ballpark but you'll need to use a spoon and your tongue throughout the cooking process to get a run in.

5 clove garlic 2 C beans, black (dry, can use 2 cans instead and skip step one) 2 onions (yellow or white probably better than red here) 2 peppers, sweet 2 peppers, jalapeno (depending on desired heat level. I like a mix of hot peppers) 2 lb. beef, ground 1 Tbsp cumin 1 tsp salt 1 pinch pepper, cayenne (ground) 1 Tbsp paprika (smoked paprika is even better) 1 pinch oregano, dried 20 tomatoes, paste variety

Instructions

Soak black beans overnight to let them plump up if using dried beans. Generally, dried beans are the slowest part of this recipe (they can take > 1 hr to cook low and slow), so if you'd like, pre-simmer them here for a while. Remove the skins from the tomatoes by boiling them for a few minutes, them moving to an ice bath. Skins should peel right off. Brown the beef in a large stockpot and drain. Leave some fat in the bottom of the pan to saute the vegetables unless you prefer other oils for that. Saute the chopped onions and peppers. In a couple minutes, add the diced garlic and continue sauteing until onions are mostly translucent. Toss in the skinless tomatoes for a minute or two; use a potato masher to pulverize. Add ground beef, black beans (if using dried - if using canned, drain and add after perhaps 20 minutes), 1C water, and seasonings Mix well; bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer Taste it after 15 minutes. Is it spicy enough? It's too late to add more raw peppers, but ground peppers (cayenne, chipotle, etc., or hot sauce can still kick it up a notch). Is it just bland? Your best bets are (in order): garlic salt, cumin, and salt. Simply put, there's much more salt in good chili than you probably would like to think. And garlic and cumin? Good stuff. Check the thickness too - the tomatoes should start thickening the mixture a little. The pot should not be simmering rapidly, but in the marinara way - *blub, blub* - if unsatisfactory, try to remedy with tomato sauce or perhaps more water. Keep tasting every 15 minutes or so for about an hour of simmering. By then, you're just waiting for your black beans to be done (unless they started done). If you want to thicken the chili up, masa (corn flour) or cornmeal mixed with cold water should do the trick. Mix it up before adding to the chili and mixing in.

Tags: Main Dish, Summer Harvest