This Chipotle Black Bean Chili is spicy, hearty and oh so comforting!
The chipotle adds a wonderful smokiness to the flavor profile and the diced tomatoes provide a fresh quality!
This last Sunday my friend Alison invited me to a food and wine charity in Carmel to take pictures of her and her friend Becky who were playing music for the event. Alison on banjo, Becky on fiddle and an upright bassist named Dan Robbins played some great bluegrass music while attendees sampled food from 12 local chefs and tasted wine from 12 local wineries.
I met some really cool people at the event and two of them really stood out, chef Zacery and owner Tighe from the LionFish Supper Club in Santa Cruz. They do catering and also host a really cool pop-up dinner series every Tuesday night. I will have to try it sometime. Zacery made tiny mushroom tarts topped with ricotta salata. He offered me one and I told him “unfortunately I don’t like mushrooms”. His jaw dropped and then he said that he had converted many other mushroom haters and that I should just try one. Guess what? I absolutely loved it.
Zacery focus is on healthy and sustainable cuisine. He learned to forage in Oregon, where he grew up. I was very inspired by his passion for foraging foods like fiddleheads, nettles, mushrooms and wildflowers, which he uses in his cuisine as often as he can. Ok, so nothing in this chili was foraged, but it is still perfect for this time of year.
This chili pairs the best with your favorite beer. I also enjoy it with a Riesling that isn’t too sweet.
Chipotle Black Bean Chili - CaliZona
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Dried Black Beans
- Chipotle Hot Sauce - recipe below
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 White Onion – diced
- 3 Cloves Garlic – minced
- 10 - 12 Cups Filtered Water
- 1 24 oz. Jar Strained Tomatoes - I use Bionature
- 2 Poblano Peppers - roasted - diced
- 2 Tomatoes - diced
- 2 Tablespoons Paprika Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Cumin Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Oregano - or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 2 Cups Corn - fresh or frozen - optional
- 2 Tablespoons Sea Salt or to taste
Chipotle Hot Sauce
- 4 Dried Chipotle Chiles
- 4 Dried Ancho Chiles or New Mexico
- 1 Dried Habaneros Chiles - optional omit for a milder sauce
- 1 Cloves Garlic
- 1/2 Small White Onion
- 1/4 Cup White Vinegar
- 1 Cup Filtered Water
- 1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
Garnish options
- Cheddar Cheese
- Avocado
- Diced Roasted Poblano
- Jalapeno
- Corn
- Sour Cream
- Cilantro
- Lime wedges
Instructions
Beans
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Measure the beans and sort thru to make sure there are no rocks. Rinse, drain and set aside.
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Add the onion and olive oil to a 5-quart pot and cook over medium-low heat.
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Cook for about 5 minutes then add the garlic and saute until the garlic starts to become golden.
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Add 10 cups of water along with the beans and bring to a boil then turn to medium- low heat and cover.
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Cook for about an hour and a half or until the beans are soft. (Make sure and keep an eye on them)
Hot sauce
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Put chiles and onion into a pan with water and bring to a boil.
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Dump into a colander and let it cool a bit so you can remove any stems and the seeds of the ancho peppers.
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Put chiles and onions in a food processor or blender and add the water, garlic and salt. Puree
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Put a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and press thru then scrape the outsides of the sieve to get as much as you can.
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Stir in the vinegar.
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Stir well and set aside.
Roasted peppers
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Roast the poblano on a stovetop on medium-high heat. A gas stove works the best but it will work fine on an electric stove.
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Char the peppers on all sides turning with a pair of tongs.
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When good and charred, steam them for 10 minutes in a covered dish or a paper bag rolled shut to hold in the steam.
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Take a paper towel and rub off the char. It’s ok to leave a little of the char.
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Slice in half, remove the seeds and stems.
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Thinly slice and dice. Set aside.
Assemble
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When the beans are soft, add the tomato sauce, hot sauce, spices, poblano and salt.
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Cook for about 20 more minutes to incorporate flavors and to cook the tomato sauce, and then add the diced tomatoes and corn. Cook until the tomatoes and corn are hot.
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Serve with any of the garnish options.
