Black Bean Chili

Spice pattern: Mexican

Ground dried chilis, with cumin, oregano, garlic and onion, together make up the spice mix we
know as chili powder. In this recipe you making your own chili mix of spices, so you have more
control over the taste. None of the chilis I use are particularly hot, so this probably comes out as
a mild to medium chili. I use the dried chilis cut up into small pieces in this recipe, but they could
also be ground together with the cumin and oregano to make your own chili powder.

Chili is best tasting made a day in advance.

1½ c black beans 4 cloves garlic chopped

6 c water 2 med onion chopped
1 stick kombu 2 green bell peppers chopped
½ tsp turmeric 1 tsp salt or to taste
2 tsp oil 1 tsp oregano
1 small can tomato paste
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp whole cumin seeds 1 large can diced tomatoes
2 ancho chilis, cut up ½ c hearty red wine (like burgundy)
2 guajillo chilis, cut up

Boil the black beans with the water, kombu, turmeric and a touch of oil for 10 minutes, then
reduce heat and gently boil until done, about 90 minutes. Or, cook in a slow cooker for about 6-8
hours or overnight after boiling for 10 minutes.

Heat the oil and cook the cumin seeds and dried chili pieces until the cumin seeds turn a darker
brown. Add garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the onions, bell peppers and spices and
cook until onions are soft and transparent. Add the tomato paste and stir, and fry the tomato paste
over a low flame until it darkens and becomes crumbly textured and glistens with the oil. Add the
cooked beans with maybe a cup of their cooking liquid, the diced tomatoes and wine. Adjust
spices if you need to, bring to a simmer and just let it cook, at least another hour, the longer the
better. If you want, you can transfer the mix to a slow cooker and leave it to cook on low for 8
hours or more.