Denton County Living Well Magazine September/October 2018

About the author: David Lebovitz—a self-pro- fessed fan of Raymond Loewy—began working in restaurants at the age of sixteen, before ending up at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. He spent nearly 13 years in the kitchens at Chez Panisse before leaving in 1999. Having been a professional cook and baker most of his life, he launched his website in 1999 to coincide with the release of his first book, Room for Dessert. The site was intended as a place to share recipes and stories and in 2004, to coincide with his move to Paris. Lebovitz was named one of the Top Five Pastry Chefs in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Chronicle and was featured in Bon Appétit, Chocolatier, Cooking Light, Food+Wine, Cook’s Illustrat- ed, The Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, Travel and Lei- sure, The New York Times, People, Saveur, Sunset, and USA Today. He left the restaurant busi- ness in 1999 to pursue writ- ing books and now lives in Paris full time. You can read more about David and find more recipes and books at his blog: www.davidlebovitz.com. Chocolate Bean Chili There’s lots of ways to soak and cook dried beans. Some use a pressure cooker and others use the soak and simmer method, as I do. If you wish to use canned beans, use 8 cups (1kg) red or pinto beans with their liquid in place of the cooked dried beans. I start my chili the day before by salting the meat and soaking the beans, although you can omit the first two steps and just go right in to the recipe. In France, butcher shops sell beef especially for 1 pound (450g) dried red or variegated heir- loom beans 1 bay leaf 2 pounds (1kg) beef stewing meat, such as boneless short ribs or chuck roast, cut into 1-inch (3 cm) cubes 3 teaspoons salt (total), smoked if available 2 to 4 dried chiles, or one fresh chile, minced About 2 tablespoons cooking oil 2 medium onions, peeled and diced 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 2-3 teaspoons red chile powder 1. Rinse the beans and sort them to remove any debris. Put in a bowl and cover with cold water and let soak overnight. 2. Put the cubes of beef in a freezer bag with 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt, massage gently, and refrigerate overnight. 3. The next day drain the beans, cover with several inches (centimeters) of water. Add the bay leaf and bring to a full boil for ten minutes. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook until tender, one to three hours, adding more water if the water boils away. Once done, remove the bay leaf. 4. In a large casserole or Dutch oven (at least 6 quarts, 6l), heat the oil. Working in batches so you don’t crowd the pan, brown the piec- es of beef, resisting the urge to turn them until they are truly dark on each side. The browning adds a great deal of flavor. As the meat pieces brown, remove the pieces to a separate plate and brown the remaining pieces. If necessary, add a bit more oil to the pan as you go. 5. If using dried chiles, snip them into a small bowl in very tiny pieces with scissors and pour just enough boiling water over them to cover. If using fresh chiles, remove the stem and chop them finely. (You can either discard the seeds, which are hot, or use them.) 6. Once all the meat is browned, fry the onions in the pot until they are wilted, about 5 min- Serves about 8 long stewing, called Morceaux de bourguignon. (Or paleron or gîte.) For those who can’t get unsweetened chocolate, use an extra ounce (30g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate and skip the brown sugar. As mentioned, use whatever chiles (fresh or dried) are available to use. And feel free to dial up the spices, if you’d like. I kept it more moder- ate, since I like the flavor of the beans to shine through. But you can certainly season to taste. 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder (if available, otherwise use an additional teaspoon red chile powder) 2 teaspoons dried oregano 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon paprika 2 cups (50cl) beer 2 cans (15oz, 200g each) crushed or diced tomatoes 1 tablespoon brown sugar 2 ounces (55g) unsweetened chocolate 3 tablespoons cider vinegar or lime juice utes. Add the garlic, as well as the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, chile powders, orega- no, cumin, and paprika, and cook for anoth- er minute, stirring constantly to release the flavors of the spices. 7. Add the beans to the pot along with their liquid, as well as the chiles, beer, tomatoes (and their juices), brown sugar, and choco- late. 8. Simmer the chili at the absolute lowest tem- perature possible (I use a flame-tamer) for at least 1 hour, or until the meat is tender. If necessary to cook much longer, you may need to add additional water if the chile becomes too thick. When done, stir in the vinegar or lime juice. Taste, and adjust any seasonings, such as the chile powder and the salt.  Serving: There’s plenty of ways to serve chile. Some like it over rice, others prefer it plain. Be sure to offer bowls of sour cream, slice green onions, grated cheese, and chopped cilantro so guests can customize their bowls. Cornbread is a great accompani- ment, too. Storage: Chili can be refrigerated for up to three days, or frozen for at least two months. It will thicken considerably subse- quent days so you may wish to thin it with water or beer when reheating it. DENTON COUNTY Living Well Magazine | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 39

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