It’s the end of the month. It’s cold.
What better time for a hot spicy bowl of chili?
If you’ve been curious about some of those meat substitutes that have come on the market, here is a chance to try them out. Or, not. This is a very good recipe however you prepare it. I used the Trader Joe Meatless Ground but Impossible Burger would be good, too.
This recipe is adapted from one (Spicy Pork and Black Bean Chili) that appears in Melissa Clark’s Dinner: Changing The Game. It’s a wonderful cookbook and is available at your local bookstore or on Amazon here.
Here is the chili recipe as I prepared it in my kitchen using the ingredients pictured above.. This recipe tastes best, I think, on day two after the flavors have had overnight to marry.
Black Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 white onion (diced)
- 1 poblano chile (diced)
- 2 t. kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- 1 t. ground black pepper
- 2 t. dried oregano
- 1 T. red chili powder (or more to taste--I used at least 3 T.)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 T. ground cumin (or more to your taste)
- 1 28-ounce can of San Marzano tomatoes with their juices (diced or just broken up with our hands)
- 1/2 lb. dried black beans (cooked and drained--I used Rancho Gordo Midnight Black Beans) or 2 15-oz. cans of black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 C. lager beer (I used Singha)
- 1 package Trader Joe's meatless ground plant-based crumbles (optional)
- Possible Garnishes: grated cheese, sour cream or Mexican creama, chopped cilantro, cilantro pesto, sliced black olives, sliced green onions)
Directions
- Step 1 Saute onion and poblano chile in olive oil until they are soft and slightly browned. This will take about 5 minutes.
- Step 2 Add salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, chili powder, and garlic. Cook for about a minute.
- Step 3 If you are using the plant based crumbles, rehydrate them using the directions on the package. (Boiling water and a bit of oil if using the Trader Joe’s brand.) If you are using another brand like frozen Impossible Beef, defrost and sauté in some butter before adding to the chili.)
- Step 4 Add tomatoes and their liquid, cooked black beans, beer and rehydrated meatless crumbles. Bring this mixture to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer and cook on your stovetop for about 40 minutes. You want the chili to have thickened. If, on the other hand, your chili is too thick, you can thin it with vegetable broth or the rest of the bottle of bear (if you haven’t finished it off)
- Step 5 Taste and adjust seasonings. Garnish and serve.
