Bobby Flay's Black Bean Chili recipe, sort of

Making some chili today! I found this recipe for Bobby Flay's Beef and Black bean chili, so I followed it as closely as I could. I don't always have the right ingredients, so I can't say it's exactly his chili, because with my substitutions it is now MY chili. First of all, I used dried beans. I had some in the cupboard for several months and decided I should cook them. So I put the beans on the stove in a big pot of water and cooked them for about 2 hours until they were nice and soft.

We like all kinds of beer. I recently covered my kitchen cart with beer caps.

I started the meat sauce using 1-1/2 pounds of ground beef, because that's how I had it packaged in my freezer. A little short for his recipe and its ground, not chunks, so there ya go! So I browned the beef, added the onions and garlic, and chili powders and then poured in a bottle of dark beer...err, not so dark beer. It's 805. It's a Blonde Ale. It's what we have in the frig. It's also kind of expensive...and it wasn't a "whole" bottle, because I had to taste it a couple of times. Quality control. That's important. If you have to know more, here is the link:
http://www.firestonebeer.com/beers/products/805

So where was I? Ah, the meat sauce...so the beer cooked down and I added the tomatoes--fresh ones, from SLO Veg. I tasted the meat and wow! spicy and smokey! Bobby's recipe called for ancho chili powder, pasilla chili powder and cumin. I had regular red chili powder, chipotle chili powder and --score!- pasilla chili powder. Chipotle chili powder is dried, ground jalapenos. Ancho chili powder is from dried poblano chilies. I think the chipotle is hotter, so I used just one tablespoon instead of Bobby's recommended three tablespoons of ancho. I have been getting all my spices from New Frontiers Market in San Luis Obispo from their bulk bins. They all smell so strong and fresh and I just love them! Plus I save a ton of money buying them this way...I can fill up my spice jars for between 50 cents and 2 dollars.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/548749-ancho-chili-powder-vs-chili-powder/

I decided to add the bean water to the sauce, because it looked so ... beany! I mean, the beans were rinsed and cooked, and the water I used was fresh, so I just don't see the point of using chicken stock. I checked my cupboard and didn't have any chipotle adobe in a can, so nix that. After all, I did use chipotle chili powder. Good enough. I did have some honey, though, so I added a generous amount.

I have some avocados from SLO Veg, so I will make the avocado relish from the recipe. Actually, I will just mix in some of the salsa I already have made with some chunks of avocado. I love to improvise! I am waffling right now between running down to the Mexican market for some crema, or just using plain ol sour cream. If you haven't ever used crema, I recommend trying it. It is so thick and good! Oh heck, it is hours before dinner...I am going for a ride. (It was two sips, and it was an hour ago!)

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Bobby Flay's Beef and Black Bean Chili with Toasted Cumin Crema and Avocado Relish

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
2 pounds beef, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large red onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons ancho chili powder
1 tablespoon pasilla chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 bottle dark beer
5 cups homemade chicken stock, or canned low-sodium or water
1 (16-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, drained and pureed
1 tablespoon chipotle pepper puree
1 tablespoon honey
2 cups cooked or canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Toasted Cumin Crema, recipe follows
Avocado Relish, recipe follows

Directions
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper, and saute until browned on all sides. Transfer the meat to a plate and remove all but 3 tablespoons of the fat from the pan.

Add the onions to the pan and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the ancho powder, pasilla powder, and cumin and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the beer and cook until completely reduced. Return the beef to the pot, add the chicken stock, tomatoes, chipotle puree, and honey, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and simmer for 45 minutes. Add the beans and continue cooking for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the lime juice, and adjust seasonings.

Serve with a dollop of Toasted Cumin Crema and Avocado Relish.

Toasted Cumin Crema:
1 tablespoon cumin seed
1 cup Mexican crema or creme fraiche
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the cumin in a small saute pan over medium heat. Toast until lightly golden brown. Place in a small bowl. Stir in the crema and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place in a squeeze bottle.

Avocado Relish:
2 ripe Hass avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno or serrano chile, finely diced
Lime juice
Chopped cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/beef-and-black-bean-chili-with-toasted-cumin-crema-and-avocado-relish-recipe/index.html