Mexican Bean Soup

Third and fourth dates in one week, which was not the plan but happened because the plan kept getting extended. Wednesday: the Museum of Science and Industry, which was his idea, and which turned out to be the correct choice for a first museum date — the kind of place where you can be serious or you can laugh, depending on the exhibit, and we were both. He knew things about the weather patterns display that I did not. I knew things about the public school history display that he did not. We taught each other things in a museum. This is a reasonable metric.

Friday: cooking at his apartment in Bridgeport. A two-flat, ground floor, he lives alone. The kitchen is functional and a little bare — one pan, the basics, a blender he has used twice. He made the chili he had mentioned on the first date. It was, in fact, a good chili: kidney beans and ground beef and real chiles from a bag and cumin and a little chocolate added at the end, which I did not expect and which he was proud of. I said the chocolate was the right call. He said "My father's trick."

I told him about the blog audience and the book idea. He said "How does it feel to write about hard things?" I said it feels necessary. He said "Do the readers know how hard some of them are?" I said some do, some don't. He said "They should." He said this not as a criticism but as a statement of fact, the way he says most things: directly and without performance. I thought about it. He is probably right. The readers who know make better sense of what they are reading.

Fourth of July is Thursday and I am going to Oak Lawn. He asked if we would see each other before the holiday. I said I thought we would. He said good. We have been texting every day since the wedding. This is a thing that is happening. I am fully aware that it is happening and I am letting it happen and I am making the most careful possible version of yes to all of it.

I haven’t stopped thinking about that chili. Not in a dramatic way — just the way a good, honest thing stays with you. I’ve made a version of it at home twice now, working from memory and instinct, and this Mexican bean soup is the closest I’ve landed: deep with chile heat, grounded with cumin, and finished with a small piece of dark chocolate that changes the whole register of the pot. His father’s trick. I’ve adopted it.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 dried ancho or guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn (or 2 tbsp chile powder from dried chiles)
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 cans (15 oz each) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz) diced fire-roasted tomatoes
3 cups beef broth
1 oz dark chocolate (70% cacao or higher), chopped
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
Sour cream, shredded cheddar, and sliced scallions for serving (optional)

Instructions

Brown the beef. Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 7–8 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed.
Soften the aromatics. Reduce heat to medium. Add the diced onion to the pot and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Bloom the spices. Stir in the torn dried chiles (or chile powder), cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
Build the soup. Add the kidney beans, diced tomatoes with their juices, and beef broth. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Simmer. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broth has thickened slightly and the flavors have melded.
Finish with chocolate. Remove the pot from heat. Add the chopped dark chocolate and stir gently until fully melted and incorporated. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with sour cream, shredded cheddar, and scallions if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Mexican Bean Soup — The Chocolate Was the Right Call