Chili-Chili Oooo Mmmmmm Chili!

 This week I'm cooking from The Grit Cookbook. The Grit is a vegetarian restaurant in Athens, Georgia. If you're afraid of vegetarian food - keep reading. You're gonna like this stuff.

Yeah, I complain about winter. It's dark, cold, windy, and I can't stand driving in snow. However, one of the things I love about winter is hot and steamy soup. The legendary Grit Black Bean Chili is one of those super soups that keep you going when the weather gets you down.

The Grit's Black Bean Chili is the very first recipe in the cookbook. This is no surprise as the chili is an essential ingredient in a number of Grit staples; it's a versatile soup that also doubles and freezes well. Trust me.

I had a long Sunday cooped up in the house, so I figured I'd make up a ton of Grit Black Bean Chili. I did a rapid soak of the beans beginning at 8:30am, and by 1pm the chili was done. Then I had to find other things to do. This is the kind of chili that gets better as it simmers, though, so be sure to allow ample time. I rinsed the beans in a bright blue colander, placed in a large pot, boiled for two minutes, removed from the heat, covered, and soaked for at least an hour.

Black Beans in Blue Colander

While the beans were soaking I gathered the other ingredients. First I chopped a lot of onion and garlic.

Have Knife? Chop Onion & Garlic.

Then I poured the spices onto a plate - that's chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne...I think that's it.

A little black pepper, too.

I returned to the beans, rinsed them thoroughly in the bright blue colander, added about 8 cups of water. Onion, garlic, and spices followed quickly. This simmered on the stove top until the beans were tender - at least an hour.

During the long wait, I chopped celery, onion, and yellow pepper. This was sauteed in some olive oil and set aside.

Celery, Yellow Pepper, Onion

Once the beans were done, I poured the celery, onion, and yellow pepper into the beans and stirred to combine. And this is where patience comes into play when making Grit Black Bean Chili. The directions admonish the cook to "Allow flavors to marry for at least 1 hour;" I'd say let them get good and acquainted. Take your time. Take as long as you can stand. The chili only gets better as the flavors mingle.

I'm impatient about these things, and was (as usual) darn hungry. It's easy to be very hungry when breakfast is often a large mug of Earl Grey tea and some peanut butter on toast. I scooped up a small bowlful, topped with shredded cheese and sour cream.

Doesn't that look yummy? And it definitely beats those winter blues away!