Fourby Chili (Black Beans Beer & Broccoli)
Submitted by loftleider
Vegetarian black bean chili simmered in stout beer with three chiles, peanut butter, and steamed broccoli florets. Deep, malty, and surprisingly bold.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
30 minREADY
50 minStout in chili is one of those moves that sounds gimmicky until you taste what malt and roasted barley do to a pot of black beans. The beer pulls the beans toward something darker and more savory than water ever could, while a quarter cup of peanut butter melts in toward the end and gives the chili a velvety body without any cream.
Three chiles do the heat work: long mild peppers for body, jalapeños for grassy bite, and serranos for sharp top-end heat. Seed them all if you want a chili with personality rather than a five-alarm warning.
The overnight rest is genuinely worth it here. Long-simmered bean and chile flavors don’t fully marry until they have a night in the fridge, and the texture firms into something thicker and stewier on day two.
Steamed broccoli on top sounds odd, but the bright green crunch against the dark stew is the whole point. It cuts through the malty richness the way a salad cuts through a steak.
Chef Tips
- Soak the beans a full overnight. Quick-soaked beans hold their skins more rigidly and don’t absorb the stout flavor as deeply.
- Steam the broccoli only until it’s bright green and just tender. Mush kills the textural contrast.
- Reserve some stout for the cook, as written. The chili and the cook both improve.
Variations
- Use porter or dunkel instead of stout for a less roasty, more chocolatey base.
- Add a square of dark chocolate at the end for mole-style depth.
- Swap peanut butter for almond butter and top with toasted pepitas instead of cheese.
Ingredients
Directions
Rinse the black beans, pick out any pebbles; then cover with water and let soak overnight.
Then pour off the soaking water, add 1 bottle of stout, and add fresh water to cover the beans plus about 1".
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Cover partway (it will boil over if fully covered) and let cook for 1½ hours, stirring occasionally.
Add water if neccessary.
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
Add the garlic, onions, and all chili peppers.
Sauté a few minutes until soft, then add to the beans.
Add the vinegar and spices and the diced tomatoes; simmer for another half hour, stirring.
As the liquid from the tomatoes boils off, start adding stout from the second bottle.
About half of this bottle is reserved for the cook.
Add the corn and the peanut butter, simmer for another hour or so, keeping it moist enough (with stout and/or water) so that it doesn’t crust over.
Stir occassionally.
Best if you let it sit overnight, and reheat it for dinner the next day.
To serve: cut the florets off of the broccoli, and steam until done (but crisp).
Serve the chili with a sprinkle of chopped onions and grated cheddar cheese on top (for vegan, omit cheese or use tofu cheese).
The broccoli can either be stirred in at the last minute, pressed on top of the chili for nice presentation, or placed along side it.
Serve with spanish rice (follows) and with warmed corn tortillas!
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