
Mole-Style Chili with Black Beans and Andouille
This rich-tasting chili is inspired by Mexican mole. Spicy andouille sausage is a clever replacement for beef. Serve with corn bread and jicama slices sprinkled with lime juice and chili powder. Finish with sugar cookies and lime sorbet.
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 chicken or pork andouille sausages, about 6 oz. total, finely diced
- 3 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. ancho chili powder
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 2 cans (each 14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes with juices
- 2 Tbs. minced canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, plus 1 Tbs. sauce
- 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 2 cans (each 15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
Directions:
In a large, heavy pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the sausages and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini, cumin and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper and stir for 1 minute to toast the spices. Add the tomatoes with their juices, the chipotle chilies, adobo sauce, chocolate and oregano. Bring the chili to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes to blend the flavors.
Add the black beans and simmer until the zucchini is tender and the flavors have blended, thinning the chili with water if it is too thick, about 10 minutes more.
Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Spoon the chili into warmed bowls and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.
Quick tips: Chipotle and ancho chili powder offer great flavor to recipes; keep them on hand for spicing quick-cooking recipes with little effort. Chipotle chilies in adobo sauce are available in cans in the Latin section of most markets. For a meatless version, omit the sausage. This chili improves overnight, so make it a day ahead, or look forward to the leftovers.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Weeknight Fresh & Fast, by Kristine Kidd (Williams-Sonoma, 2011).