Midnight black bean chili

It seems appropriate that today's post should be dedicated to the one, the only, the evilest: my stepmother, Penny.

After all, it was 16 years ago today that we welcomed her into our family with loving arms. Did we know back then how truly evil she was? Yes, why else would we welcome her? Every redhead needs an evil stepmother, and I have the best one. This woman: quilting queen, gardening goddess, mother of three, grandmother of eight, evil-stepmother of four, patient wife to one, and a biker babe to boot. She has inspired me and loved me and I will never be able to show her how much I love her. You'll have to forgive me the lachrymose tribute. For almost the same amount of time as we've known her, it seems she has struggled with dietary issues. And for a long time, nearly everything made her sick, including the plants in the yard. She was diagnosed as Celiac, so no tomatoes or gluten but she could handle small amounts of vinegar. She then found out that she had real issues with the allium family; this includes onions, garlic, shallots and scallions. Thankfully, she has been spared the garlic allergy, and this is a real gift because that may have been a bit too much for my garlic loving father (see: burnt onion story for more background on that). Next, it was dairy. Now, this diagnosis turned out to be a blessing in a way. This news also meant that a large number of other vegetables she thought she couldn't have, were not the issue: rather, dairy was the culprit.

For nearly sixteen years I have watched her struggle.

I have been there when servers bring her meal topped with raw onions, even after warning of her allergy. I have worried, having insider knowledge, that they don't take her seriously and will just scoop the onions off the top rather than making a new dish. And I have watched her pause to look upon meals with concern that this dish could mean a day or two of complete misery; and all it would take is one cook, one server, one chef: to forget. These moments fostered in me a sense that I need to fight for her, defend her, if that means I need to go back there and cook it myself, so be it. I am often loyal to a fault. Because, the majority of chefs, servers and cooks, truly do care about what they do.As a blossoming chef, I loved cooking for my family at whatever restaurant I was currently cooking at. A big part of that became creating a totally different special for her when she came to visit. I have always loved this challenge. And that will never change. Every person deserves to enjoy food the way they want. And her suffering has opened my eyes to a community of people that suffer for the sake of eating out. This is an issue that should not be taken lightly. What if you couldn't eat out? Can you imagine? Well, yes, I'm sure you can.

All of this is to say that I hope to create a community here, within this blog, where people feel safe to share allergies and aversions.

I take it as a challenge and truly believe it makes me a better chef. If you have an allergy and would love a recipe made sans that ingredient, please share! I will do my best to create something you love. I'll start by sharing my #1 aversion: I really don't like asparagus. Sometimes I cook it, just to see if I can make it click for me, but it always ends badly. In the last 5 years I have been moving away from corn, soy, wheat, eggs and wine. I have struggled for a while with feeling right after I eat. And while none of these are allergies, rather sensitivities, I do feel downright awful when I eat them. This chili is vegan, onion-free, gluten-free, and soy-free. It is somewhat time consuming if you try and take it all on in one day. However, broken into two or three days, it is very simple. You could likely use a crock pot or even an instant pot, but I would like to refer you to Samin Nosrat's article Saying Goodbye with Beans, as it mirrors perfectly and eloquently, my feelings on cooking beans. Finally, the entire time I was cooking this, Alex kept letting me know that it was crying out to be paired with Cuban garlic pork. Naturally, I agree. But I resisted the urge and kept it vegan.

Important: You will need a whole pineapple for this recipe. Here, we will make a stock from the peel and core as a base for the soup. If you eat a lot of pineapple, like we do, this is a great way to use up those scraps! Try making a large batch and freezing to use in all kinds of recipes from sweets, to a savory braise for pork. Also, I used Forager Project, dairy free sour cream for this. I like this brand because they are one of the few that does not use soy or wheat in their product. And last but not least: Rancho Gordo's Midnight Black Beans are responsible for the name of this chili. You can find them here.

Servings 4 as an entree

Author Kelsey Hebert

Prep time

1 Hour

Cook time

1 Hour

Inactive time

8 Hour

Total time

10 Hour

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Midnight Black Bean Chili

This delicious chili uses pineapple stock for an unexpected sweetness, and cacao for depth of flavor. You should start by making the pineapple stock, which can be done a couple days in advance. In addition, you will need to soak your beans overnight. This is a recipe that takes a bit of planning but if you break it into little tasks over a couple days, it should not take more than an hour to complete.

Ingredients

Pineapple Stock

• Skin and core of one pineapple
• 2 allspice
• 3 cardamom pods
• 1/8 tsp powdered ginger
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 ancho chile
• 1/2 mulato chile
• 5 c water

Black Beans

• 1 c Rancho Gordo Midnight black beans, rinsed and sorted
• 3 c water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Midnight Chili

• 1 lbs sweet potatoes, cut into 1" chunks
• soaked beans
• 4 c pineapple stock
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 stalks celery, about 1 c, medium diced
• 1 Guajillo chili
• 3/4 tsp mexican oregano
• 1 tsp cumin seed
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp cacao powder
• 2 tbsp molasses
• 1 tbsp Sherry vinegar
• Dairy-free sour cream and cilantro for garnish
• water and salt as needed

Instructions

Pineapple Stock

1. Add all ingredients to a 5-quart stock pot, or dutch oven and cover with water.
2. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes
3. Strain and reserve liquid for chili. this should yield about 4 c.

Black Beans

1. Combine beans, water, baking soda and salt in a quart container and leave to soak overnight.
2. Strain and rinse beans before use.

Midnight Black Bean Chili

1. Heat a 5-quart stock pot or dutch oven, over medium-high heat, add oil and when the pot is hot.
2. Add celery and sauté for 2 minutes, salt lightly. Next add garlic and sauté until fragrant and softened, about 1 minute. Add cumin and cinnamon, and stir until fragrant. Add beans and pineapple stock promptly. Now you can add your oregano, guajillo chili and 1 tsp salt, and bring beans to a boil.
3. Lower your temperature so that the beans are slowly simmering. Cover and cook for 35 minutes, check to make sure that after you add the lid the beans don't return to a boil. You may need to adjust the temperature a bit here.
4. After the 35 minutes are up, remove the lid and add your sweet potato. You may need to add a bit a water to make sure everything is covered. Continue cooking for 25-30 minutes uncovered.
5. Begin checking at 25 minutes. You are looking for creamy texture in the beans and the same from the sweet potato. Don't be fooled by half-done beans, which will seem mostly cooked but they split noticeably in half when eaten.
6. Once your beans are creamy, and sweet potatoes cooked through, add cacao powder, sherry vinegar and molasses. Stir to combine. Check for seasoning, add salt and freshly ground pepper if needed.
7. Allow to cook on low for 10 more minutes to allow flavors to meld.
8. Remove 2-3 cups of soup into a small bowl with high sides. Using a burr stick, puree soup and stir back into the pot on the stove. Alternatively, you can use a blender, just be careful with the hot liquid.
9. To finish, ladle evenly into four bowls and top with fresh cilantro and dairy-free sour cream

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @gridelin_bale on instagram and hashtag it #midnightblackbeans