Lentil Chili with Red Beans

 

Lentil Chili with Red Beans

 

 

Lentils, one of my favorite dry legumes, make fine chili. Tasty, versatile, inexpensive and quick-cooking, lentils are are also loaded with vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber. In many ways they’re a wonderfood.

 

Here’s my easily made lentil chili, in which I now use red beans. Small red beans, as opposed to red kidney beans, are a variety I am recently getting to know. They’re the favorite bean for New Orleans and Louisiana cooking as well as one of the most popular beans in several countries in Central America and the Caribbean. While I use them in this recipe, other beans would also serve, including pintos, light red kidney beans, and black beans.

 

Chili can be a main course, particularly if accompanied by rice or corn chips, avocado and salsa. Chili, can also be a snack or, if thinned down with extra liquid, can serve as a soup.

 

The recipe serves six, but leftovers are great to have.

 

1 small-medium onion, diced

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 1/4 cups (1/2 pound) dry tan-green lentils, rinsed and drained

2 1/2 cups water, plus more as needed

1/2 cup canned crushed tomato

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

A pinch of ground cloves

2 (14-ounce) cans red beans (or pintos or others), drained

1 teaspoon vinegar

 

In a heavy pot, gently fry the onion with the olive oil, stirring frequently, until softened. Add the minced garlic and fry one minute, stirring most of the time. Add the rinsed and drained lentils plus the water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat. Simmer, pot covered but stirring frequently, until lentils are becoming tender. Add a little water from time to time to keep a little liquid on the bottom of the pot. This cooking takes 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, assemble the other ingredients.

 

When lentils are nearly tender, add the crushed tomato, all the seasonings, and 1/2 cup of water. Simmer, covered, and stirring frequently, 10 minutes. Add drained beans and simmer about five minutes. Add a little water as needed to keep the mixture moist.

 

Remove from heat. Stir in the vinegar. Taste the chili and add a little salt if needed, to taste. The chili can be served now, or for better flavor, cool, refrigerate, and rewarm to serve. When rewarming, add a little water, if needed, to the desired thickness.

 

Accompany with sliced avocado, sliced tomato or tomato salsa, and corn tortilla chips. Optionally, also serve with rice.