Sue's Recipes and Other Stories

Vegetarian Chilli (4)

Ingredients

250g dried beans ( black and kidney are good)
1 small hot chilli( e.g arbol or cascabel)
4 fruity chillies( e.g ancho, mulatto or pasilla, or a mixture thereof)
1tbsp chipotle or 1smoked paprika
2tbsp oil
1 onionpeeled and finely chopped
1 green pepperseeded and fairly finely chopped
2 garlic clovespeeled and crushed
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground coriander
1tsp Mexican oregano (or marjarom or verbenaor normal oregano, in which case use a little less)
1tbsp Marmite
1x 400g tin tomatoes
250ml coffee
1tbsp masa harina or cornflour

Instructions

Soak the beans in plenty of cold water for at least eight hours.
Boil the kettle. Remove the stalks and seeds from the dried chillies, then toast them in a hot, dry frying pan, turning regularly, until blackened all over.
Put in a small heatproof bowl, add enough boiling water just to cover, leave to soak and soften for five minutes, then whizz to a paste.
Heat the oil in a large lidded casserole dish over a medium heat, then fry the onion and pepper until soft. Add the garlic, fry for another minute, then add the dry spices and oregano, and fry until aromatic, stirring so it doesn’t catch and burn.
Stir in the chilli paste, Marmite, tomatoes, coffee and drained beans, bring up to a simmer, then turn down the heat, cover the pan and leave to cook gently until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened to your liking – how long this takes will depend on the type, size and age of your beans but it will take at least 90 minutes.
Add the chilli paste, Marmite (or soy), tomatoes, coffee and drained beans, cover and cook until tender.
Stir in the masa or cornflour, bring to a simmer, season to taste and serve or, ideally, leave overnight and reheat gently. Serve topped with avocado, soured cream, cheese and /or fresh coriander with cornbread or plain boiled rice.