So how’s your winter going? Here we’ve had a cold, cold winter with several weeks of temperatures in the teens and twenties. Snow is once again in our forecast for tonight and tomorrow. Unfortunately, while we have not had much snow this season, it means water will probably be a scarce resource come summer. I really hope that this storm does not move south into Texas. Those folks need a chance to just breathe.
I don’t like winter, nope, not even a little bit, but when it is especially cold, the days just seem that much longer and darker since nights arrive so early. Those are the days that are best spent in the kitchen, making warming casseroles or soups. This chili was something I played around with last winter and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope that you will as well. Let’s get started!
Cherry, Chocolate, Chipotle Chili
1 pound pinto, anasazi, or cranberry dried beans
1 white onion, diced
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
2-3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
5 cloves garlic, chopped (about 1-2 tablespoons)
2-3 chipotles (from a can of chilies in adobo), finely diced
2-3 tablespoons (from that same can of chilies in adobo)
One 14.5`oz. can Muir Glen roasted diced tomatoes, no sodium
Low sodium vegetable broth
1 bottle Negro Modelo beer
2 canela sticks, ground
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup dried Montmorency cherries
1 package (2.7 oz.) Mexican chocolate, finely chopped
3/4 cup apple butter
Suggestions for Toppings:
Jalapeno slices, chopped cilantro, diced jicama, diced avocado, crumbled tortilla chips, red pepper flakes, radish matchsticks
I like to soak my beans overnight , when I can remember, that is. It helps to shorten the cooking time later. If it will be longer than 12 hours, I drain and rinse the beans, adding fresh water for continued soaking. At the end of soaking time, once again I’ll drain and rinse the beans for a final time before cooking them. This is something simple not requiring my attention while it shortens the cooking time. You may use pinto, Anasazi, or cranberry beans for this chili. My absolute favorite are the Moro beans, from Rancho Gordo beans. However, these are not always available. The anasazi beans are a close second, and just as yummy.
In a pre-heated stock pot, add the diced onion. Saute until it begins to stick ever so slightly. At this time, you will add 1-2 tablespoons of veggie broth and continue with the saute. Add just this small amount of liquid each time the veggies begin to stick. Don’t add too much broth, you want the texture of sauteed rather than boiled onions. When the onions are about half way softened, add the tomato paste, cumin, mexican oregano, cayenne pepper, Old Bay seasoning, and bay leaves, again adding 1-2 tablespoons of broth to prevent sticking as needed. Add the chopped garlic for the last few seconds. (Garlic burns easily and tastes bitter.)
When the spices have bloomed, that is , when you can smell those wonderful scents arising from your pan, then it is time to add the chipotles and the adobo sauce, the canned tomatoes, the Negro Modelo and 4-5 cups of low sodium vegetable broth. Start with the lesser amount of liquid, adding more as needed. This liquid mix should cover the beans by about an inch. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer until your beans are soft to the tooth, but not mushy! Today my beans needed to cook for about two hours. They must have been old-timers! Sometimes it will be less. It will depend on the age of your beans. For recipes like this chili that require a longer cooking time I prefer to taste test at the end to see if any of the spices need refreshing at this point. If they do, I will add a small amount of seasoning to replace that which has cooked out of the chili. Also, you will want to remove the spent bay leaves at this point and mash lightly. This will help the soup thicken if it has not already.
By the way, when I purchase canned tomatoes, I use and highly recommend Muir Glen canned tomatoes. They come in various forms, like whole, petite or regular dice, crushed, as sauce or paste. You can pick sodium, no sodium, roasted or not. This brand never disappoints and is always my choice.
Remove the lid, adding the apple cider vinegar, ground canela, the Montmorency cherries, the Mexican chocolate, and the apple butter. Stir well and replace the lid back onto the stock pot for about 5-10 minutes. This short amount of time is merely to melt the chocolate, and meld the flavors of the cherries, canela, and apple butter into the chili. Mash lightly once again, not too much. You want to be able to see and recognize the beans.
By the way, the canela sticks are found in the mexican foods section at your local market. They can be ground quite easily in a coffee grinder. However, if you do not have a grinder, you may use regular cinnamon. But I really love the lovely flavor and fragrance from the canela sticks, so try it if you can.
At this point, dig in! You may serve this with a biscuit or cornbread or even warm tortillas. Add as many of the toppings as you desire, you can’t go wrong.
Also, you will only use about half the can of chipotles in this recipe. So if you like it (and I hope you really, really do!), then you will have enough to make this again or for some other use.
This makes a fairly hearty soup by itself. But if you need something more substantial, try serving the chili over a baked sweet potato, or diced roasted butternut or acorn squash, or even Mexican rice, or quinoa. More choices , more fun! And a very full tummy.
Buen provecho!
