Black Bean Chili

Winter chilis created by outstanding chefs are the focus of article penned by Richard Sax in the February 1986 issue of Bon Appétit. As I was brainstorming what to serve at our Super Bowl party, a black bean chili from the famed Café Beaujolais in Mendocino, California caught my attention. It combined red and green peppers with jalapeños and a blend of herbs and spices that looked tempting. Margaret Fox, the owner of Café Beaujolais from 1977-2000, created specialties in her restaurant that made it a destination in Northern California for many foodies. And this chili was among her specialties. (I read that Julia Child ordered Fox’s chili when she visited the cafe.)

The Beans

When I’ve made vegetarian bean dishes in the past, I have usually flavored the cooking broth that the beans simmer in with onions, celery, garlic, and spices. This recipe called for cooking the beans on their own and making a separate flavor base to which the beans would be added towards the end of cooking.  I decided to give it a try.

I used half of the amount of dry beans that Fox’s recipe called for. The tomato, onion and pepper base had a stronger presence in my chili, which worked well for the our purposes. If you want a more tame, soup-like chili, use 4 cups (2 pounds) of dried beans or halve the ingredients for the onion and tomato foundation.

The Flavor Base

The onion, pepper, and tomato flavor base was easy to put together while the black beans slowly cooked. Fox called for oven-roasting cumin seeds and dried oregano before adding them to the sautéing vegetables. This technique was easy to do and intensified the spice and herb flavor.

The original recipe included no chile powder at all. Chili without chile powder? I couldn’t do that. I added a bit of chile de arbol powder, which is quite fiery. I compensated for this by reducing the number of jalapeños used and subbing in canned mild chiles.  I also used fire-roasted tomatoes, now available in most grocery store, in addition to the tomato puree the recipe required.

Serving It Up

I decided to use this black bean chili as the centerpiece of our Super Bowl party. Our guests could choose to eat the chili as a stew, create a taco salad, or build personalized nachos with it. In addition to tortilla chips, we offered freshly made salsa, Tex-Mex seasoned cooked ground turkey meat, two grated cheeses (smoked cheddar and swiss), chopped green onions, sliced black olives, avocado, cilantro, lettuce, and sour cream.

Guests used pie tins covered with parchment paper to build their nachos; after 4-5 minutes in a warm oven, the nachos were transferred onto to individual serving plates. Our friends and enjoyed their custom nachos (or taco salads) while watching the halftime show.

The end result was a very satisfying, hearty black bean chili—a winner for our Super Bowl party.

Black Bean Chili

Dawn Dobie

Vegetarian chili with fire-roasted flavor

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 3 hours hrs

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

For the beans

• 1 lb. dried black beans

For the onion-tomato base

• 2 Tbsp. dried cumin seeds
• 2 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 ½ large brown onions chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper minced
• 9 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. chile de arbol powder
• 4 tsp. paprika
• 4 ounces fire-roasted green chiles (I used mild)
• 1 14.5 ounce can fire-roased diced tomatoes --drained
• 1 28 ounce can peeled crushed tomatoes or tomato puree

Garnish

• 1 red bell pepper
• Cilantro optional
• Sour cream optional
• Avocado optional
• Grated cheese or goat cheese optional

Instructions

 

For the beans

• The night before cooking, prepare the beans. Pick over them to remove small rocks, blemished beans, etc. Rinse in a colander and then transfer to a large bowl. Cover with water by 2 inches. Let soak overnight.
• Drain beans. Place in large pot or slow cooker and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Cover and cook over low heat until beans are tender but not mushy, about 2 hours.

For the flavor base

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place cumin seeds and oregano in small baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes, stirring twice. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onions and sauté for 5 mintues, stirring often. Add chopped green bell pepper and jalapeno and sauté another 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook 2 additional minutes, stirring often. Add cumin seeds and oregano, cayenne, chile de arbol powder, paprika, and salt. Cook five minutes more. Add drained fire-roasted tomatoes, peeled and crushed tomatoes, and green chiles. Stir well. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

For the garnish

• Preheat the broiler. Roast the red bell pepper, turning so that it chars on all sides. When sufficiently blackened, transfer to paper bag, seal the bag, and allow pepper to steam for 10 minutes. Remove from bag. Peel skin off of pepper. Remove seeds and membranes. Cut in ½ inch pieces. Reserve.

Putting it together

• Drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid. Add the beans to the flavor base and stir to incorporate. Add at least one cup of cooking liquid, but more according to the consistency you want your chili to have. Simmer for 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Serve warm

To serve

• Top servings of chili with roasted red bell pepper. Offer cilantro, avocado, cheese and sour cream on the side, if desired.

Notes

As a time-saver, you could easily use canned black beans for this recipe. But cooking dried beans—especially in a slow cooker—is easy and a money saver.

The components of this dish can be made two days ahead of time. Store the beans separate from their cooking liquid; store the flavor base on its own. All components should be covered and refrigerated.

The recipe in Bon Appétit said that the chili freezes well.

Adapted from Margaret Fox of Cafe Beaujolais (Bon Appétit Feb 1986)