Black Bean Chili with Dark Ale

You didn't think I'd tell you about a great stout-enhanced cake and then not provide an equally intriguing main course, did you? I would never think of doing such a dastardly deed, and with that said, I present to you, my faithful readers, Black Bean Chili with Dark Ale.

I've been making a different version of a black bean chili for some time now, and no other recipe, no matter how hard it tried, was able to sweet-talk its way into my recipe box. I admit, I tried this recipe because of the dark ale; the amount of it and the lack of, well, any other liquid. So, my curiosity leaned more towards the "how edible is this going to be?" side rather than the "you can't go wrong with this!" side. I wasn't so nervous about adding stout to a chocolate cake because I knew, and am ashamed to admit (kind of), that chocolate + cake will end up in my belly no matter what. But this...this could end up just being a waste of two bottles of great beer (and yes, beans and vegetables, too, but also the beer...).

Well surprise, surprise! It turns out that a base of beer does a good chili make, or at least that's how you'll be structuring your sentences after a meal planned around my "March" recipes. 

Black Bean Chili with Dark Ale

Adapted from Vegetarian Times

2 tbsp olive oil

2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced*

2 tbsp ground cumin

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 14-oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained

24-oz dark beer (such as New Belgium 1554)

1 14-oz can diced tomatoes

1 cup fresh or frozen corn

1.) Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add chipotles and cumin; season with salt if desired. Cook 1 minute or until fragrant.

2.) Stir in onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Saute 5 to 7 minutes, or until vegetables are soft. 

3.) Stir in beans, beer, tomatoes, and corn. Bring chili to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes, or until thick.

*Remember the Butternut Squash Enchiladas from a few days ago? Here is recipe number two that uses those chipotle chiles you have leftover in your refrigerator. See how nicely that works out?