This is my pinto bean chili that also yields some tasty refried beans without much else to add. The chili is meatless but it features canned chipotle peppers, some exotic spices along with chocolate and blackstrap molasses and a two stage cooking process that really helps to add depth of flavor. The refried beans are made from some of the reserve mixture that is left behind (won't fit in the oven container I use). The refried beans are made while the chili is in the oven baking.
Ingredients for chili
Wash and rinse 2 cups of dried pinto beans and add to a slow cooker on high setting along with 4 bay leaves and 8 cups of boiling water. Cook until tender (about 4 hours) when cooked set aside.
In a very large skillet (12" to 14") heat the olive oil and add carrots, celery, onion, pasilla peppers and black pepper. on medium to high heat continue stirring until some light browning begins to happen
Add garlic, diced jalapeno peppers, cumin, sumac, ground lemon Omani or lemon zest, cloves. Continue to brown and stir.
Chop up the canned chipotle peppers and add to pan along with chipotle juice and Italian tomato liquid. Continue to cook and stir.
Now add 3/4 of your slow cooked pinto beans (including liquid) which were set aside (remove bay leaves). Set the remaining 1/4 of the beans aside to be used for refried beans. Continue to cook this mixture for about two minutes and stir everything together thoroughly.
Now add the fresh thyme, cocoa powder, blackstrap molasses, paprika, and dried oregano, and salt. Sir together well. Continue to cook for another two minutes.
Cover with water and continue to simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
Pour 3/4 of the mixture into an oven ready baking container. Add the juice of one lime and 1/2 teaspoon of honey. Cover with a lid and bake @ 300 for at least two hours.
Ingredients for refried Chili beans
Add the cumin and continue stirring until you have toasted it a bit.
Now, add the left over chili beans mixture and the left over cooked pinto beans from the above chili recipe and stir it all together while continuing to cook.
With a potato masher, mash and crush the ingredients until you have a consistent mixture in the pan (see photo). If you need to add some water to thin out the mixture a bit go ahead, but keep in mind that when it cools, it will thicken somewhat, so play with that.
Cool it as quickly as possible (transfer to another shallow container and move to a cool place). Then fill small Ziploc baggies and flatten them. This way you can break them into pieces after freezing and quickly unthaw them when you need them.
Ingredients for chili
- 2 cups of dried pinto beans
- 10 cloves of garlic
- 1 large stalk of celery diced
- 2 small carrots diced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 1/2 fresh pasilla pepper diced
- the juice of one lime
- 4 to 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon sumac
- a pinch or two of freshly ground cloves (this is an important ingredient and you have to be careful how much to use. experiment o find the best amount for you)
- 2 to 3 whole canned chipotle peppers and about one tablespoon of the canned liquid (bag the rest and freeze for next time.
- 1/4 teaspoon ground lemon omani (it's a Persian spice that is from dried ground lemons). substitute with some fresh lemon zest added.
- 3/4 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon spanish paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground California chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- 1/3 cup juice from Italian canned tomato's (no seeds)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 dried bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Wash and rinse 2 cups of dried pinto beans and add to a slow cooker on high setting along with 4 bay leaves and 8 cups of boiling water. Cook until tender (about 4 hours) when cooked set aside.
In a very large skillet (12" to 14") heat the olive oil and add carrots, celery, onion, pasilla peppers and black pepper. on medium to high heat continue stirring until some light browning begins to happen
Add garlic, diced jalapeno peppers, cumin, sumac, ground lemon Omani or lemon zest, cloves. Continue to brown and stir.
Chop up the canned chipotle peppers and add to pan along with chipotle juice and Italian tomato liquid. Continue to cook and stir.
Now add 3/4 of your slow cooked pinto beans (including liquid) which were set aside (remove bay leaves). Set the remaining 1/4 of the beans aside to be used for refried beans. Continue to cook this mixture for about two minutes and stir everything together thoroughly.
Now add the fresh thyme, cocoa powder, blackstrap molasses, paprika, and dried oregano, and salt. Sir together well. Continue to cook for another two minutes.
Cover with water and continue to simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
Pour 3/4 of the mixture into an oven ready baking container. Add the juice of one lime and 1/2 teaspoon of honey. Cover with a lid and bake @ 300 for at least two hours.
Ingredients for refried Chili beans
- remaining chili mixture from above recipe
- remaining cooked pinto beans from above recipe
- 3 teaspoons of freshly ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon of salt (season to taste)
- 1/2 diced onion
- water as needed to thin out the mixture
- two tablespoons of grapeseed oil
Add the cumin and continue stirring until you have toasted it a bit.
Now, add the left over chili beans mixture and the left over cooked pinto beans from the above chili recipe and stir it all together while continuing to cook.
With a potato masher, mash and crush the ingredients until you have a consistent mixture in the pan (see photo). If you need to add some water to thin out the mixture a bit go ahead, but keep in mind that when it cools, it will thicken somewhat, so play with that.
Cool it as quickly as possible (transfer to another shallow container and move to a cool place). Then fill small Ziploc baggies and flatten them. This way you can break them into pieces after freezing and quickly unthaw them when you need them.
