Liz's Black Bean Chowder

Happy Groundhog's Day! I don't have anything "Groundhoggy" to post today. But since we can expect to be cold for six more weeks, here's something to keep us warm...

I had printed this recipe off of The Pioneer Woman's blog a while back. She had a cooking challenge and asked folks to post recipes that she would make and then pick a winner. This chowder was one of the winners and sounded so good. It made a huge pot so I thought it would be great for the Super Bowl, but then with our unexpected addition to the family we packed up the chowder and headed south. Now I can't find it on her site to be able to link, so I will type the whole thing out. The full recipe (which I will give you) includes a yogurt-cilantro relish that I had to make to at least try, but didn't like at all.

Liz's Black Bean Chowder with Yogurt-Cilantro Relish

1 (32 oz.) pkg. dried black beans

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, pressed

olive oil

1 small ham hock

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies

6 c. chicken stock

6 c. milk

2 Tbsp. butter

3 c. shredded mild cheddar cheese

4 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. liquid smoke

2 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. mild curry powder

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Relish:

1 c. plain yogurt

2 c. chopped cucumber, peeled and seeded

1 c. chopped cilantro (which is why I didn't care for this!)

1/2 tsp. salt

Place beans in a colander and rinse beans well. Place in an 8-quart Dutch oven (Buttercream was close to overflowing by the end of the recipe...she's not 8 quarts) and cover with water (about an inch over the top of the beans) and soak overnight. The next morning, prepare the relish by mixing all the ingredients together, then place in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Then drain the beans and rinse well.

Gently saute the onion and garlic in the stock pot with 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil, then add diced green chiles. Place beans back in the Dutch oven and add chicken stock, ham hock, liquid smoke, chili powder, cumin, curry powder, cayenne, and salt and pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. After one hour is up, add the milk and 2 Tbsp. butter and simmer another 30 minutes. While the chowder is simmering, place the shredded cheese in a large bowl and add the flour, toss to coat the cheese with the flour. Bring the chowder to a boil and stir in the cheese. Boil while stirring constantly until the chowder thickens to your desired consistency. Ladle the chowder into bowls and top with one or two Tbsp. of yogurt-cilantro relish*. Serve with warm tortillas.

*After realizing I didn't care for the relish, I decided to serve with sour cream and fritos!

The Dish Washer has demanded that next time I make this to figure out how to add some meat to it...suggestions? He says pulled pork!