Beef and Black Bean Chili

Name: Beef and Black Bean Chili
Yield: Makes 3 Quarts, About 8 to 12 Servings
Ingredients: 2 cups dried black beans, sorted and soaked overnight, then drained (Dried Bean Basics); 4 teaspoons paprika, preferably Hungarian; 4 teaspoons dried oregano leaves; ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste; 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes, chopped, with juices; 2 teaspoons chopped chipotle chilies, or to taste; ¼ cup best-quality chili powder, or more or less to taste; grated Muenster or Monterey Jack cheese; ½ teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt or sea salt, or to taste; 1 bay leaf; 4 teaspoons cumin seeds; Ripe avocado wedges (optional, but good); 1½ tablespoons rice wine vinegar or cider vinegar, or to taste; Sour cream; 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped coarse; ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley; 3 medium yellow onions, chopped; Lime wedges; Cilantro sprigs; 5 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1½ pounds beef shin or chuck, cut in ¾-inch cubes

Preparation info

Makes
3 Quarts

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Get in There and Cook

By Richard Sax

Published 1997

About

Closely based on Deborah Madison’s black bean chili, which, she notes, has been served at Greens, the great vegetarian restaurant overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, every day since they opened in 1979. Deborah’s use of seasonings is masterful; particularly so is her use of a small amount of chipotle chilies (smoked jalapeños, available dried and canned and jarred in adobo sauce or without the sauce), a touch that has been widely copied across the country.

Ingredients

Main course
Spicy

Ingredients

Method