Spicy 3 Bean Beer Chili – You’re Welcome.

June 3, 2009 · Filed under Dinners, Recipes, Soups · Tagged chipotle peppers, great aroma, healthy, Ina Garten, protein, punky chef, Rachel Ray, Sam Shaber, spicy chili, the happy problem, three bean chili, vegetarian chili

Yes, for those of you who enjoyed the Free-Range Turkey Chili made with Amber Lager, (and also for those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about), I got one better – and it’s totally vegetarian.  Witness: Spicy 3 Bean Beer Chili.  Aw, yeeeaaaah!  (And stay tuned for the awesome apartment trick at the end.)

Aaawwww, yeeeaaahhhh!

Yes, there it is in all its beany glory.  Thick, aromatic, spicy and HEALTHY!  YOU WILL MAKE THIS and then you will feel GOOD!  Come with me…

TOOLS:
Big knife
Strainer
Measuring spoons
Big spoon (for stirring and serving)
Large frying pan w/sides (like, wok-ish, you know?)

INGREDIENTS:
(Okay, don’t be scared – I know it’s long)
1 regular can each black beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1 large onion (“brown” “sweet”)
5 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 chipotle chili en adobo (WHAA??  Check it:)   

I found it where the salsas and salad dressings are - good luck!

1 bottle Dos Equis Amber Ale
Extra virgin olive oil
Toppings: sharp cheddar, sour cream

RECIPE:
Okay, ready?  We are gonna POWER through this, people.  And then we are gonna EAT!  It’s gonna be so great.  First you’re going to chop the onion and the garlic cloves.  (Check out the TIPS section for – well, for TIPS, obviously.  Duh.)  (Okay, but snide comments aside, there you will find not only my methods for chopping onions and garlic, but also a word about the GARBAGE BOWL – a Rachel Ray trick that will come in handy with this.  Thank you, Rach.  (I call her “Rach” in my mind, right, Rach?))

Okay, now swirl the olive oil three times around your pan and turn the burner on medium high.  Wait about 30 seconds for the oil to heat and then throw in your onions, garlic, Tablespoon kosher salt (why kosher?  Because Ina Garten uses it and she is my absolute cooking idol… as well as my, just, idol.  Please invite me to your house, Ina.  I promise to add coffee powder to my chocolate to bring out the flavor.  See?  I really do pay attention.)

Sorry, I got a little excited about my Ina thing there.  Where was I?  OH yes!  So with your onions and garlic, you also add the tablespoon of kosher salt, teaspoon of chili powder, and teaspoon of dried oregano.  Stir it all around for about 3 minutes.

While it’s cooking, chop your chipotle chili.  (It can be hard to get a whole one, so just grab what you can and chop away.)  After the three minutes, throw in the chipotle chili and the tablespoon of tomato paste, and then mushel (again, my favorite word) everything around with your big spoon until it’s all well mixed, about 1 minute.  (And good news – I’ve discovered you can freeze the leftover chipotle chilis and tomato paste in regular to-go containers.  So far, they keep for months!)

And now my favorite part – crack open that bottle a’ Dos Equis and pour it in, baby!

Ahh, watch it sizzle, watch it crackle.  Smell the yummy.  

And continue to do that for about 8 minutes.  Watch it, that is.  While the beer reduces, that is.  Don’t stir.  Resist!  Just let it go… ahh… it’s zen chili…

Or something like that.

Okay!  We’re SO almost done.  While the beer is going its thing, rinse all your beans.  Just pour all three cans of beans (kidney, black, garbanzo) into your strainer and rinse.  

And now your beer is reduced, your mouth is watering, and you just need to finish this puppy off.  Add all your canned goods – diced tomatoes and beans – and stir everything together.  Leave it on about another five or ten minutes.  I judge it by the color of the garbanzos: when they have a nice pink shade that means they’ve absorbed the flavors, and – yes – it is time.

Spoon out your chili into bowls, shred your cheddar cheese over the top, and dollop some sour cream in the center.  (And really, who doesn’t love the word “dollop?”) And now…

SERVE and ENJOY!

All the savor and flavor you could possibly want.  (And if you like more or less hotness, use more or less chili powder and chipotle.)  Also, hopefully you’ll f=have leftovers, because honestly this chili is almost better on day two!  It’s had even more time to sit and absorb all that flavor.

And WAIT!  One more thing!  Now we come to the apartment trick.  After dinner, go outside your apartment for about ten minutes.  Look at the moon, get an ice cream on the corner, walk your dog, whatever you need to do.  And THEN, reenter the house.  Ah?  AH?  If you’re doing it right now, you know why I told you to do this.  Take a deep breath and relish in the chiliness.  In fact, just leave the door open so all your neighbors can get a whiff also – they will be SO jealous!  Welcome to your wonderful new Spicy 3 Bean Chili home.  Awwww, yeeeaaaah!  And, you’re welcome.

wuv,
Sam