Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Black Bean Chili

Contributed by Dawn Marie Hamilton

Last year, after my chili entry finaled in a local charity chili cook-off, I shared the recipe at my writer's group blog 'Voices From The Heart'. The mention of using chocolate in a chili recipe seeded the idea in my mind. After tasting a wonderful chocolate flavored mole sauce at a restaurant, I decided to experiment with my chili recipe. Here's the results.


Ingredients:

1 cup onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
2/3 cup catsup
½ cup water
½ cup celery, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
3 cans (15.5 ounces each) black beans, rinsed
3 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon chili powder
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, minced
1 teaspoon adobe sauce
2 squares (2 ounces) 70% Cacao Extra Bittersweet Chocolate
Shredded Mexican blend cheese
(Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Queso Quesadilla and Asadero Cheese)


1. Sauté onion in olive oil. Add beef and brown lightly. Drain off excess fat. Add catsup, water, celery, lemon juice, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and dry mustard. Simmer covered for 30 minutes

2. Add black beans, diced tomatoes with liquid, chili powder, chipotles, adobe sauce and chocolate. Simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

Serve chili over brown rice with generous sprinkling of cheese. Tortilla chips on side. Enjoy!

2 comments:

  1. This looks amazing, Dawn, and the chocolate is intriguing. I'm always looking for new chili recipes. One of my favorite cookbooks is Killer Chili by Stephanie Anderson. I don't like it too hot, though. What's the "Heat Index" for your Black Bean Chili?

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  2. Two chipotle peppers will make the chili medium. Three will push it into the hot category. If you like mild, Pat, I would suggest using one chipotle pepper and no adobe sauce.

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