By The week after Cody’s arrest. Mid-March. The state of Oklahoma went under a stay-at-home order Friday, which is the kind of state-wide news event that would have been the biggest thing in the kitchen across any other week of any other year, and which this week is the second-biggest thing in the kitchen by a long margin. The factory shut Friday afternoon at the end of my shift with two weeks notice for laid-off-without-pay status, which the line manager said in the small Friday-three-PM meeting in the break room was the best he could do given the orders from the corporate office in Tulsa. I am laid off effective Monday.
Mama is still at the Dollar General on a reduced schedule. Dollar General has been deemed an essential business. The store has the new plexiglass shields at the registers as of Thursday and the new six-feet-apart floor stickers as of Friday. Mama said the customers have been quiet and slow and watchful. Dustin is still in the HVAC apprenticeship — HVAC has been deemed an essential trade because broken air conditioning and heat is a public-health issue — and he has been working five days a week with a small mask the shop owner Mr. Lopez has been providing.
Sunday I made black bean sausage chili because the household had pantry beans and a half-pound of Italian sausage in the freezer from before the arrest, and the chili is the kind of two-pot dish that holds for a week of lunches and that does not require anything from a grocery store I might not be able to get to. Italian sausage browned, onion-garlic-bell-pepper sweated, spices bloomed, two cans of black beans, a can of fire-roasted tomatoes, a can of corn, beef broth, brown sugar, a square of dark chocolate, a teaspoon of cinnamon, a squeeze of lime. Two hours of simmer. The chili stretched across Sunday dinner, Monday lunch, Tuesday lunch, Wednesday dinner, and a Thursday-leftover-with-cornbread.
Black Bean Sausage Chili
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 lb smoked sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cans (15 oz each) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Optional toppings: shredded cheddar, sour cream, sliced green onions, hot sauce
Instructions
- Brown the sausage. Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sliced sausage and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Saute the vegetables. In the same pot, add the diced onion and bell pepper. Cook over medium heat for 4–5 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute until fragrant.
- Add spices. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Toast the spices with the vegetables for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Build the chili. Return the browned sausage to the pot. Add the black beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chicken broth. Stir everything together to combine.
- Simmer. Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chili thickens and the flavors come together.
- Taste and serve. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheddar, sour cream, green onions, or hot sauce as desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 390 | Protein: 19g | Fat: 20g | Carbs: 32g | Fiber: 9g | Sodium: 980mg