A brewing, bubbling pot. A heavy dose of deep dark spices. And the blackest beans on the market.
It’s meatless Black Magic Chili. And those dark spices include chili powder, cumin, oregano and espresso, which give the dish a rich, mole-like quality. Honey, smoked paprika and cinnamon lend extra layers of unexpected flavor, as well.
I made a double batch of the recipe below (originally from epicurious.com), which produced a prodigious 16 servings. William and I happily scarfed the first four, and my coworkers took down another three. The rest of the chili is in the freezer, waiting to work its magic on a busy weeknight when we’ll need it most.
This is no ordinary vegetarian/vegan chili. The complex seasonings more than compensate for the absent meat. And fresh veggie toppings (avocado, red pepper, cilantro and red onion) are bright jewels that provide contrast and texture to the final product. I do, however, recommend leaving off dairy toppings like cheese and sour cream, which masked the chili’s best flavor attributes.
Black Magic Chili
1 recipe Addie’s Cuban Black Beans with cooking liquid (or 7 cups canned beans)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder or 2 shots espresso
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons course sea salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Optional toppings: diced onion, minced jalapeno or red pepper, cubed avocado, chopped cilantro
Instructions
Prepare Addie’s Cuban Black Beans (can be made a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator).
In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook for 8 minutes, until tender. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant—about 1 minute. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, and powdered espresso, if using. (If you use liquid espresso, add along with crushed tomatoes). Cook onion-spice mixture for 2 minutes, stirring. Pour in tomatoes and honey, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add black beans, salt, smoked paprika, and cinnamon to the pot. If mixture is to thick, add water 1/4 cup at a time. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 30 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
Pour soup into bowls, and top with vegetable garnishes.
Serves 6 to 8
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