12-Bean Beef Heart Chili

12-Bean Beef Heart Chili Soothes the Soul
Well, the February Foodie Joust left me with enough beef heart to use for another meal. It was time to don the old thinking cap and make use of those leftovers, keeping the beef heart...incognito...

The weather helped in the decision, too. We've been enduring quite a few more cold snaps than usual here in NC and, to me, that means something warm and filling, like a soup, stew, or, a chili. Eureka! That was it! -- a good, thick, hot chili. Dried beans are a staple in my kitchen. I think you should know that I don't always keep my dried beans separate, if they require the same kind of treatment. For instance, I don't mix fast-cooking lentils, split peas, etc., in with beans that require overnight soaking. That said, pretty much everything gets mixed together.

So, into the pot went a couple of cups of cleaned and sorted mixed dried beans with double the volume of water. Brought the pot to a boil, turned off the heat, and let them rehydrate overnight.  That may seem like a lot of beans, but I had plans for the excess and decided to kill two birds with one stone. [Note: Make as big a pot as you can and simply divide and freeze portions for other recipes. Much cheaper and healthier than canned beans.]

Here is today's chili ingredients:  4 cups of reconstituted mixed dried beans, 2 cups of finely chopped cooked beef heart (or any kind of leftover cooked beef), 2 cups chopped onion, 1 cup chopped roasted bell peppers, 1 cup kernel corn, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1/4 teaspoon ground bay leaf, 1 teaspoon stevia (sugar), 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper, salt and pepper to taste.

Bring everything up to a boil; cover and reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Continue cooking on stovetop or remove to solar oven and continue cooking until almost all the liquid is absorbed. Garnish with cilantro and serve with crusty bread or crackers.  I love to top my chili with grated cheese but, today, I used my own homemade cheese crackers and decided that was enough binder. Enjoy.