This is based on a recipe from textfiles.com, using ingredients available in the UK and with a somewhat simplified cooking method. Unusually for our recipes, this one's vegetarian and doesn't contain any black pepper. You won't need rice to go with it.
Serves about six hungry people.
- 500g dried black beans
- 100ml (or so) olive oil
- 2tbsp cumin seed
- 2tbsp dried oregano
- 2 large onions
- 2 green peppers
- 2 red peppers
- 5 cloves garlic
- 3tbsp paprika
- 1tsp cayenne pepper
- 1tsp salt
- 2 cans chopped tomatoes
- ½ tube tomato puree
- 6 small green chilli peppers (jalapeno or similar)
- cheddar cheese, creme fraīche and tortillas, to serve
You'll need two large casserole pans and a wooden spoon each to stir them with, a chopping knife and board, a garlic press, and a can opener.
First, prepare the black beans as per the instructions on the packet (in one pan): you're aiming for soft, almost on the point of mushy, just as you're going to add them to the rest of the chilli. In my case, that meant boiling them for 15 minutes, then simmering them for about another 45. Your mileage may vary.
Put the olive oil, cumin and oregano in the other pan, and turn the heat up to just above medium. Let the oil heat up while you chop the onions (cut in half, then chop into centimetre-wide pieces across the short axis); when you add the onions, they should sizzle. Dice the green peppers finely (1cm square pieces), and chop the red peppers into slightly bigger pieces (halve, then chop each half in a three by three grid). Add these to the pan along with the onions, and crush the garlic in too. Fry this all together for about three minutes, then add the paprika, cayenne pepper and salt, and cook until the onions are soft, stirring the mixture so that everything's coated in the spices. If it sticks to the bottom of the pan, add a little water.
Cut the chilli peppers in half, remove the seeds, and slice each half finely; add these to the pan. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the tomatoes and tomato puree. Bring the mixture to a boil (which shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes anyway). Drain the beans (which, I'll remind you, should be soft; think baked beans), rinse them thoroughly, and add them to the pan, stirring everything together until it's well mixed. Add a little more water if necessary, and cook for about another ten minutes.
To serve, ladle out some chilli into a bowl, add a pile of grated cheese and a couple of spoonfuls of creme fraīche to the top, and provide some warmed tortillas.