Friday, October 24, 2008
With the chilly weather setting in, I figured, what could be more appropriate than...chili?
This is a stove top recipe that I've been working on for a few years. In it's current incarnation, there's a nice balance between vegetation and meat.
John's Black Bean Chili
--1 1/2 pounds beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
--3/4 pound bulk Italian sausage, hot or sweet
--2 tablespoons olive oil
--3 1/2 cups black beans, pre-soaked (or two 15-ounce cans black beans)
--1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, along with can juices
--2 tablespoons tomato paste
--1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
--1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
--3 cups (total) assorted peppers, coarsely chopped. May include jalapenos, Hungarian wax, habaneros, Italian frying peppers, etc. It all depends on what you have on hand, and how much heat you like!
--2 to 3 dried chipotle peppers
--1/2 cup white wine
--3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
--1 beef bouillon cube
--2 tablespoons chili powder
--1 teaspoon salt
--1 teaspoon ground cumin
--1 teaspoon dried oregano
--1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or more, to taste)
--1/2 teaspoon paprika
--1/2 teaspoon dried basil
--a few dashes Worcestershire (about 1 teaspoon)
In a small bowl, soak the dried chipotle in the white wine.
Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, and when oil is hot, crumble the sausage into the pot. Allow the sausage to brown for about 1 minute, stirring often. Add the beef chuck, and stir to evenly brown. If desired, drain excess grease (I don't bother with this step).
Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, and onions, and stir to combine. Remove the chipotle peppers from the wine, and chop the chipotles into a fine dice. Add chipotles to the pot. Strain and add the wine to the pot. Add ALL remaining ingredients, except for the bell pepper and the assorted peppers. Stir to thoroughly combine. Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, add the red bell and assorted peppers. Stir to combine, and taste chili; if necessary, adjust salt and/or black pepper. Cover, and allow to simmer over low heat for an additional 2 hours.
Serve chili in bowls, topped with shredded cheese, crumbled crackers, sour cream or whatever you like.
For the "assorted peppers", I used a combination of Italian frying peppers, wax peppers, cowhorns and jalapenos. I wanted a little background heat, but I didn't want it to be "5-Alarm" chili.
As with any chili, promptly refrigerate or freeze and uneaten portions. It improves with age!
This is a stove top recipe that I've been working on for a few years. In it's current incarnation, there's a nice balance between vegetation and meat.
John's Black Bean Chili
--1 1/2 pounds beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
--3/4 pound bulk Italian sausage, hot or sweet
--2 tablespoons olive oil
--3 1/2 cups black beans, pre-soaked (or two 15-ounce cans black beans)
--1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, along with can juices
--2 tablespoons tomato paste
--1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
--1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
--3 cups (total) assorted peppers, coarsely chopped. May include jalapenos, Hungarian wax, habaneros, Italian frying peppers, etc. It all depends on what you have on hand, and how much heat you like!
--2 to 3 dried chipotle peppers
--1/2 cup white wine
--3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
--1 beef bouillon cube
--2 tablespoons chili powder
--1 teaspoon salt
--1 teaspoon ground cumin
--1 teaspoon dried oregano
--1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or more, to taste)
--1/2 teaspoon paprika
--1/2 teaspoon dried basil
--a few dashes Worcestershire (about 1 teaspoon)
In a small bowl, soak the dried chipotle in the white wine.
Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, and when oil is hot, crumble the sausage into the pot. Allow the sausage to brown for about 1 minute, stirring often. Add the beef chuck, and stir to evenly brown. If desired, drain excess grease (I don't bother with this step).
Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, and onions, and stir to combine. Remove the chipotle peppers from the wine, and chop the chipotles into a fine dice. Add chipotles to the pot. Strain and add the wine to the pot. Add ALL remaining ingredients, except for the bell pepper and the assorted peppers. Stir to thoroughly combine. Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, add the red bell and assorted peppers. Stir to combine, and taste chili; if necessary, adjust salt and/or black pepper. Cover, and allow to simmer over low heat for an additional 2 hours.
Serve chili in bowls, topped with shredded cheese, crumbled crackers, sour cream or whatever you like.
For the "assorted peppers", I used a combination of Italian frying peppers, wax peppers, cowhorns and jalapenos. I wanted a little background heat, but I didn't want it to be "5-Alarm" chili.
As with any chili, promptly refrigerate or freeze and uneaten portions. It improves with age!
