FoodMayhem

I make black beans several times a year and I posted about it way back in April of 2008. This time, I made a large batch and felt compelled to post about it again. Why? For one thing, I needed to make sure that readers who were not with us in 2008 are made aware of this easy, healthy, and delicious recipe. And, I also realized that making it in bulk changed a lot of things in the process, which could help you when you need to feed an army. (If you want the smaller-sized recipe, feel free to go back to the original post.)

In case you were wondering, I made 16 servings to fill 8 jars for BK Swappers last week. BK Swappers is a genius free event started by Kate Payne of Hip Girls Guide to Homemaking and Meg Paska of Brooklyn Homesteader. The idea is for people who love to cook and eat, that’s me ( and probably you if you’re reading this), to make a batch of something and come swap with others. You make one big batch of something and come home with a mix of goodies.

So I wanted to bring something tried and true, a recipe that wouldn’t fail me. These beans are so packed with flavor from roasted poblanos and chorizo and the uses for them are endless. They can served with alone or with rice as a side. They can be added to burritos or quesadillas. They can be a part of your huevos rancheros or a tortas sandwich. They can be eaten straight out of the jar or scoop it up with tortilla chips.

Here’s how making a small batch and a large batch differs:

Roasting Poblanos: When I roast one or two peppers, I do it right on the stove-top. The method is explained here. Anything more than 4 peppers and I’m definitely cutting them up and roasting them on sheet pans under the broiler. (Pictures below in this recipe.)

Minced Garlic: When you mince a couple of cloves of garlic, you do it with a knife on the cutting board because it’s not worth taking out the mini food processor or chopper and washing all the pieces. When you want a whole head of garlic minced, you take out the machinery.

Water: The amount of water needed changes as the surface area for evaporating increases. It also becomes harder to maintain the low simmer with this large batch and the heat may be a little hotter.

Proportions: You may notice that this recipe is not an exact scale-up of the one I posted in 2008. It’s because a little more or a little less of each ingredient won’t really matter. Get close in amounts and if you’re chopping an onion and have a little bit extra, no big deal. There are different types of chorizo anyway and each one would impart a different flavor.

Roasted Poblano and Chorizo Black Beans in Bulk
~16 servings

• 8 large poblano peppers
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or grapeseed oil
• 4 cups chopped onion
• 1 head garlic, minced
• 2 cups chopped hard chorizo
• 9 cans (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
• chopped cilantro to garnish

Instructions-

1. Cut poblano peppers into 3 to 4 flat sides and lay them skin side up on a sheet pan covered with aluminum foil. Roast them under a broiler until skins are burned lightly.

2. Place poblanos in a large brown paper bag and seal it. Let them rest for about 10 minutes. Peel off skins (should come off easily) and chop the poblanos. Set aside.

3. Heat oil in a large pot (enameled cast iron is best) and add onions. Saute for 3 minutes or until starting to turn translucent. Add garlic and chorizo. Saute for another 2 minutes. Add chopped poblanos and stir for another 2 minutes. Add beans and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil.

8. Turn down to a simmer and cook until the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup of water whenever needed and simmer off liquid again, stirring occasionally. Repeat until beans have been cooking for about 45 minutes. Taste and season if needed (often not).

9. Serve or pack in jars or container of choice. Stir in chopped cilantro right before serving.

posted by jessica at 11:03 PM Filed under Latin, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.