Quinoa & Coffee Chili

Soak your beans, and you will need to do it overnight. Rinse the beans very well, then place them in a large mixing bowl with enough water to cover by double their volume. Add 1 tablespoon of the salt and let them soak for at least 12 hours.

Make that chile sauce. Add the chiles to a small frying pan and toast them on each side over a medium-high heat until the chiles begin to puff up. Add 2 cups of the water that when pressed back down, the chiles are covered. Bring the water to a boil then remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 30 minutes, until chiles fully soften.

Transfer the chiles to a food processor along with ¼ cup of the liquid and puree, adding more as needed. Strain the remaining liquid and reserve it.

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large pot and warm it over a medium heat. Add in the chopped yellow onion and shallot and cook until the onions have softened and just begun to brown. Add the 2 celery ribs, cooking for about a minute and then add in the 5 cloves of minced garlic, cooking for another minute.

Add the 28-ounce can of tomatoes, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 tablespoon ground coriander, ground cumin, tomato paste and brown sugar to the pot. Cook for a minute, combining the spices and sugar.

Strain and fully rinse the beans. Add them to the tomato mixture along with 1 teaspoon of salt and the remaining 3 cups of water. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer until beans are tender, about 2 hours. This could take longer depending on the age of your beans.

NOTE: As with most soup, stew and chili recipes, water quantity is a rough guide. You may need more as the beans and quinoa start absorbing it.

Add in the chile puree and the chile-infused liquid. Add in ½ teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa and 1 tablespoon of finely ground coffee. You can use whatever brand you like.

In a small frying pan, toast 7 allspice berries, 4 cloves, and 1 star anise over a medium heat for about a minute. Toasting whole spices heats up the volatile flavor compounds, creating new, more complex aromas.

When there’s about 30 minutes left of cooking the beans, toss in the ½ cup of quinoa, adding more water if needed. Cook until the quinoa is tender and the beans are fully cooked, with the lid still slightly ajar.

Enjoy with shredded cheese, chopped red onion, sour cream, chopped cilantro and avocado.