Black Bean Chili

Makes 8 cups

A classic recipe from the Greens cookbook, which Dan says he “follows slavishly,” save for roasting the poblanos under the broiler and, generally, using canned beans. Says the original recipe: “It has a woodsy campfire quality and a complexity of tastes from the various smoked and roasted chilies.”

Ingredients
2 cups black turtle beans, soaked overnight
1 bay leaf
4 teaspoons cumin seeds
4 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
4 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 chili negro or ancho chili, or 2-3 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons corn or peanut oil
3 medium yellow onions, diced into 1/4-inch squares
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pounds canned or ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped; juice reserved
1-2 teaspoons chopped chipotle chili
1 tablespoon (appx.) rice wine vinegar
4 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Garnish
1/2-3/4 cups muenster cheese, grated
green chilies: 2 poblano or Anaheim, roasted, peeled, and diced, or 2 ounces canned green chiles, rinsed well and diced
1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
6 sprigs cilantro

Preparation
Sort through the beans and remove any small stones. Rinse them well, cover them generously with water, and let them soak overnight. Next day, drain the beans, cover them with fresh water by a couple of inches, and bring them to a boil with the bay leaf. Lower the heat and let the beans simmer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Heat a small heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, and when they begin to color, add the oregano leaves, shaking the pan frequently so the herbs don’t scorch. As soon as the fragrance is strong and robust, remover the pan from the heat and add the paprika and the cayenne. Give everything a quick stir, then remove from the pan–the paprika and the cayenne only need a few seconds to toast. Grind in a mortar or a spice mill to make a coarse powder.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. To make the chili powder, put the dried chili in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes to dry it out. Cool it briefly; then remove the stem, seeds, and veins. Tear the pod into small pieces and grind it into a powder in a blender or food mill.

Heat the oil in a large skillet, and salute the onions over medium heat until they soften. Add the garlic, salt, and the ground herbs and chili powder, and cook another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, their juice, and about 1 teaspoon of the chipotle chili. Simmer everything together for 15 minutes; then add this mixture to the beans and, if necessary, enough water so the beans are covered by at least 1 inch. Continue cooking the beans slowly until they are soft, an hour or longer, or pressure cook them for 30 minutes at 15 pounds’ pressure. Keep an eye on the water level and add more, if needed, to keep the beans amply covered.

When the beans are cooked, taste them and add more chipotle chili if desired. Season to taste with the vinegar, additional salt if needed, and the chopped cilantro.

Prepare the garnishes. If you are using fresh green chilies, roast them over a flame until they are evenly charred. let the steam 10 minutes in a bowl covered with a dish, then scrape off the skins, discard the seeds, and dice.

Though served in a bowl and eaten with a spoon, this chili is a great deal thicker than most soups–thick enough in fact to be served on a plate right alongside fritters or cornbread. It also, however, can be thinned considerably with stock, water, or tomato juice, to make a much thinner but still very flavorful black bean soup. When thinned to make a soup, it can be served as part of a meal rather than a meal in itself.

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