I bought my first bag of Cayuga Pure Organics beans at the farmers’ market last week and made a batch of Black Magic Chili—a vegan mole-like chili I prepared for the first time last winter. At $4 a bag, Cayuga’s black beans are cheaper than any reputable protein, and I’ll pay the premium in the future in favor of going back to Goya.
Cayuga’s fall harvest began in mid-October, and this year they’ll have soy, kidney, navy, pinto, small red, black, Jacobs cattle, adzuki, orca, tiger eye and cannelloni beans for sale. The latter three varieties will be available in the next few weeks in limited quantities.
The fresher dried black beans I used last week required a shorter soaking and cooking time than normal, three hours and one and a half hours respectively, and they maintained a firm texture and distinct flavor in the spice-infused final product. William and I ate the first few servings of Black Magic Chili simply dressed with cilantro and avocado. As the supply dwindled, I used the last of the chili to make the ultimate weeknight dinner: black bean nachos. I fried tortillas and topped them with the chili, sharp cheddar and blistered padron peppers (known as Russian roulette peppers because only one in 20 is spicy). We enjoyed the healthy and not-so-healthy meals this big black pot of local beans provided.
And I’ve been informed by Mr. Nicholson that I have to make a big man pot of meaty chili—and chili cheese fries with the leftovers—in the not-too-distant future. At least the kidney beans will be respectable.