I just love this Southern city that shuts down neatly and absolutely at the first sign of a snowflake! I really do…totally…seriously. This morning I awoke to a hushed quiet…no clamor of jack-hammers, no hubbub of beeping trucks backing up, no babel of traffic…shhhhhh…it’s quiet here…can you hear it? I am right downtown and it is tranquil!
A day such as this calls for staying indoors & hot steaming bowls of chili. Any kind of chili you like. But how about my “Black Bean Mole Chili”? Thick with beans, tomatoes…spiced with chipotle chile powder, cocoa and freshly squeezed orange juice all cooked down to make a snow day anywhere more cozy!
Out my front window early morning.
Not a true “mole negro”, but with much of the same flavor as one I remember eating in Oaxaca a few years ago. That mole was so thick and dark red-black in color smothering the roasted chicken I was eating that the incredible flavor is forever part of my best-loved food memories. My version is in no way authentic, but is a tribute to the real thing.
Dark cocoa and chili pepper combined to enrich the other ingredients…all cooked down to a thick dark red-black color.
“Coconut Cornbread Cakes” made in one of my favorite Lodge Cast Iron pans.
Black Bean Mole Chili
Ingredients for Chili:
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp Chipotle chili powder
- 1 Tbsp Cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 4 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 large cans diced tomatoes with juices
- salt and black pepper to taste
Directions:
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy pan over medium high heat. Add onions to pan and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle in, while stirring, the cocoa powder, chipotle chili powder, cumin powder, cinnamon and allspice. Turn heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes while stirring.
- Add orange juice to pan. Stir to blend and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.
- Add black beans and tomatoes to the pan and bring to a low boil. Stirring often. Turn heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. Serve with coconut cornbread cakes.
Ingredients for Coconut Cornbread:
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, divided
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 1/2 cup self-rising yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Place cast iron pan (skillet or muffin tin) with coconut oil in the oven to heat while you make the batter.
- Mix together 1/2 cup of the coconut, cornmeal, flour, coconut milk, buttermilk and egg just until blended. Add more liquid if you need to.
- When pan is really hot, remove from oven and quickly pour in batter.
- Sprinkle top of batter with remaining 1/2 cup coconut and bake until cornbread is puffy and golden brown and the coconut is browned. Delicious served hot with chili.
Teresa Blackburn http://www.teresablackburnfoodstyling.com http://www.foodonfifth.com
