Black Bean Chili with Red Onion Salsa
Submitted by vetteseca
Vegetarian black bean chili made from scratch with dried beans, green chiles, and cumin, topped with a sharp red onion, tomato, and cilantro salsa. Slow-simmered for deep flavor.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
2 hrsREADY
10 hrsThis black bean chili is a vegetarian, slow-simmered version that earns its depth from dried (not canned) beans and a long, lazy cook. The dried beans soak overnight, simmer for 90 minutes, then finish for another 45 with sauteed garlic, peppers, lime juice, cumin, and canned green chiles. The bean cooking liquid stays in the pot too, that starchy water is what gives black bean chili its silky body.
The topping makes the dish. Fresh red onion salsa with minced tomato, cilantro, and a generous handful of parsley adds raw crunch and bright acid against the deep, earthy beans below. Don’t skip it, the contrast is the whole point.
Lime juice in the saute (rather than at the end) is a smart-cook detail. It mellows during cooking, perfuming the chili without the sharpness raw acid would bring.
Chef Tips
- Soak the beans for at least 8 hours, overnight if possible. Properly soaked beans cook more evenly and have better texture.
- Don’t add salt to the beans during the initial cook. Salt firms up bean skins and slows tenderizing. Add it at the end with the saute.
- Reserve 2 to 3 cups of bean cooking liquid for the chili pot. That liquid is doing a lot of flavor work.
- For thicker chili, mash a cup of the cooked beans against the side of the pot. The starch thickens the broth without flour or cornstarch.
Variations
- Add a square of dark chocolate in the last 15 minutes for a mole-like depth.
- Use a smoked chipotle in adobo instead of the canned green chiles for a smokier heat.
- Stir in a cup of corn kernels (frozen or fresh) at the end for sweetness and color contrast.
Ingredients
Directions
Soak beans in plenty of water for several hours or overnight.
Drain off soaking water and cook in fresh boiling water, partly covered, until tender (1½ hours).
Check water level during cooking; add more as necessary.
Transfer the cooked beans to a large kettle or saucepan.
Include about 2 to 3 cups of their cooking liquid.
In a heavy skillet, sauté garlic, seasonings, lime juice, and bell peppers in olive oil over medium-low heat until the peppers are tender (10-15 minutes).
Add the sauté to the cooked beans, along with tomato purée and minced green chilies.
Simmer uncovered over very low heat stirring now and then for about 45 minutes.
(Make the salsa during this time.)
Serve topped with Red Onion Salsa and, if desired, grated cheese and sour cream.
RED ONION SALSA DIRECTIONS: Combine all ingredients and mix well.
For a finer consistency, give the mixture a bried whirl or two in a food blender.
Comments
Too bad you can't select print and save a visually unpolluted copy. I had to print it and then scan it.
Links disappear eventually and no one really wants to see all that other crap.