Thursday, March 04, 2004

Upside Down Tomatoes

Wednesday, March 03, 2004

Greens/Deborah Madison's black bean chili < fritolay > 03/01 13:08:43

Part one:

2 c black turtle beans, soaked overnight
1 bay leaf
4 tsp cumin seeds
4 tsp dried oregano leaves
4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 chili negro or ancho chili, for chili powder, or 2 to 3 tbsp chili powder
3 tbsp corn or peanut oil
3 medium yellow onions, diced into 1/4 inch squares
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 lbs rip or canned tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped; juice reserved
1 to 2 tsp chopped chilpotle chili
about 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
4 tbsp cilantro, chopped

sort through the beans and remove any small stones. Rinse them well, cover them genrously 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 prepaere 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, remove 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. 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 th stem, seeds, and veins. Tear the pod into small pieces and grind it into a powder in a blender or spice mill.(con't next)
Heat the oil in a large skillet, and saute 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 tsp of the chilpotle 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 te 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, tastethem, and add more chilpotle chili if desired. Season to taste with the vinegar, additional salt if needed, and the chopped cilantro.

Prepare the garnishes [I like just jack cheese myself]:

1/2 to 3/4 cup muenster cheese, grated

green chilies: 2 poblano or Anaheim, roasted, peeled and diced, or 2 oz canned green chilies, rensed well and diced

1/2 c creme fraiche or sour cream

6 sprigs of cilantro

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

Serve the chili ladled over a large spoonful of grated cheese, and garnish it with the creme fraiche or sour creen, the green chilies, and asprig of fresh cilantro.
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Here's one I adapted from The Whole Chile Pepper < data_snoop > 03/01 12:05:12

Book by Dave DeWitt and Nancy Gerlach.

Once I served this at a party, and people had to be told it was veggie chile.

Casi-Style Chili

Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients
4 Jalepeno chilies stems & deveined, halved
4 tb Chili powder
1 tb Paprika
2 lb Beef chuck [substitute 2 pkgs Yves Veggie Ground Round]
1 md Onion, chopped
2 tb Kidney suet; chopped [substitute vegetable oil ]
8 oz Tomato sauce
12 oz Beer [essential!! use a decent dark beer like Negra Modelo]
2 c Beef stock [substitute veggie bullion or mild-flavored veggie stock]
3 ts Cumin, ground
2 ts Garlic powder [substitute 3-4 cloves minced fresh garlic]
1 ts Pepper, black
1/4 c Masa harina (finely ground maize flour) [can be omitted w/o a problem]


Instructions 1. Brown the veggie ground round and onions in oil or fat.

2. Add the tomato sauce, beer, stock, chilies, cumin, garlic, black pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the Chili Powder. Simmer the chili over a low heat for 2 hours until the meat is tender.

3. To thicken, make a thin paste of the masa and water. Quickly stir this into the chili -- if done too slowly it will lump.

4. Add the remaining Chili Powder and Paprika. Simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Remove the Jalepenos and serve.

I have also made this subbing a mix of NM/Anaheim chile paste (from the Santa Cruz Chili [sic] & Spice Company] and chipotle puree for the chile powder.
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This one is a favorite of mine < disco45 > 03/01 13:59:13

It is from epicurious.com - Their recipe uses whole cumin seeds - I changed it to 1 TB ground cumin for time saver and I always use sweet maui onions. The ingredients don't sound too impressive but this chili has received rave reviews from friends and family - and some can't even believe it's veggie.

Serve chopped green onion, sour cream and grated cheddar on top.

BLACK BEAN, YELLOW PEPPER, AND CUMIN CHILI

6 tablespoons olive oil
1 12-ounce onion, coarsely chopped (about 3 cups)
1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chilies
3 15-ounce cans black beans, well drained
2 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes with roasted garlic
2 cups vegetable broth

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and cumin; sauté until onion is soft and golden, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add chipotle chilies and stir 30 seconds. Add black beans, diced tomatoes with juices, and vegetable broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer uncovered until liquid is reduced by half, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Transfer 2 cups chili to processor. Blend to coarse paste; return to pot. Simmer chili to thicken, if desired. Season chili to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated. Rewarm over medium-low heat before serving.)

Makes 6 servings.