White Bean Chili

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For so many moons my soul has been hankering for the perfect green Dutch oven and the shining redeeming moment of my Holiday season was when I unwrapped my very own cast iron pot-of-future-awesomeness. When I cooked this, I actually adjusted for the size of my pot, but I have listed the original recipe below. Real talk- I am so dorky I have spent an embarrassing amount of time Google searching “sm Dutch oven recipes”, “recipes with sm Dutch oven”, and my personal favorite because it should be the most effective search term, “Dutch oven and awesome”. I am not a stranger to love affairs with kitchen accoutrement- in the mid 2000’s I had a passionate devotion to my crockpot and I have actually been so obsessed with my hand blender I have taken it out of its bag simply to look at it and make sure I cleaned it properly…like, way, way, way after the fact. Since I have a workable knowledge of things popularly considered not so overly dorky like craft beer and March Madness, I feel comfortable indulging, on occasion, my desire to wax poetic over how thin my cucumber slices are when they are made with my mandolin and gush over how quickly egg whites peak in my Grammy’s old Kitchen Aide Mixer. As for my love of my Dutch oven, I feel no regrets about sharing this very specific corner of my closet with the world. My dutch oven did this recipe justice and I felt a rush a pride when I was looking at it, lid on and cooking away, because it was just so damn pretty.

There are few dishes which warm me up from my toes to my nose more than a soup made with love and a little bit of schmaltz and I count this chili as soup (though some purists might not). We’ve had, where I live, an unseasonably snow free winter but even without the snow on the ground, when I come in to my house I still find myself craving something hearty and maybe not so healthy. While there are healthier ways to make chili, I pity the fool who thinks there’s a simpler recipe which does not scrimp on flavor, floating around on the internet. I love meat free chilis, and have made them with a earth-appreciating smile on my face, but unfortunately my attempts at being a vegetarian were stymied by a rare health thing which requires me to eat like Fred Flintstone. Yabba Dabba, Yeah for days my body lets me eat more legumes than chicken legs…..

My adjustments: The original recipe called for soaking the white beans overnight, but for the sake of expediency, I used canned beans instead. As I stated, I have a medium sized dutch oven, not the monsters other people have, so I adjusted down all the ingredients to fit in my pot. I added the same amount of cumin because I love me some cumin. In the future, I would explore adding vegetables to the mix like coined carrots or even a diced sweet potato for some sweetness to cut the heat of the sausage. I did not have chili powder (I swear I have a spice munching monster in my disorganized spice and sprinkles cabinet), but it still was pretty delicious.

Ingredients

lb of chorizo (without the casings)

sm Spanish onion

3 cloves of garlic

can of Cannellini beans

30 oz (or so) can of crushed tomatoes

tsp of chili powder

tsp of cumin

tsp of ground pepper

tsp of table salt

sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (for serving) - optional

grated/shredded cheese of your choosing (for serving ) - optional

salsa of your choosing (for serving ) - optional

diced green onion (for serving) - optional

Plan of Attack

Place the chorizo in your heavy bottom pot or if you’re lucky like me, your dutch oven. Cook on medium low heat until the sausage is browned but there is still juice on the bottom of the pan.

Place the chorizo in your heavy bottom pot or if you’re lucky like me, your dutch oven. Cook on medium low heat until the sausage is browned but there is still juice on the bottom of the pan.

Remove the sausage from the heat using your slotted spoon and place to the siDe. Add the onions, garlic and spices to the poT and cook on medium low in the sausage drippings until the onions are aromatic and clear.

Remove the sausage from the heat using your slotted spoon and place to the siDe. Add the onions, garlic and spices to the poT and cook on medium low in the sausage drippings until the onions are aromatic and clear.

Add the beans, the tomatoes, and the sausage back into the pot and cook for 30-40 minutes with the top on. It should not be boiling but it should still be actively cooking. You are looking for the flavors to integrate. Serve hot with cheese (shredde…

Add the beans, the tomatoes, and the sausage back into the pot and cook for 30-40 minutes with the top on. It should not be boiling but it should still be actively cooking. You are looking for the flavors to integrate. Serve hot with cheese (shredded cheddar or cotija), sour cream (I used plain greek yogurt) and chopped green onion (optional).