Why do you need to try a simple beef chili by Jacques Pépin? My Hubby and I can think of three good reasons. – First, it’s been a cold January, and Jacques’s recipe will warm you up. Second, the Super Bowl is coming up, and this chili makes a great halftime meal. Third, if you’re looking for a healthy chili that’s different from all the rest, you should try this recipe.
Hello, my friends! I’m sure you’ve had many types of chili with meat. The dish comes from Mexican and Spanish origins. Most modern-day versions use ground beef and are heavy-handed with the spices.
Jacques Pépin comes from a very different cooking tradition. So, his rendition of the dish has subtle variations. For example, he uses lean stew beef rather than ground beef. He also leaves the use of hot sauce and other spices entirely up to you. – His goal was to create a recipe that is both healthy and easy to prepare.
We in the soon-to-be-world-famous Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen were intrigued by his recipe. So, we decided to test it out and see how it stacks up against our favorites. In so doing, we learned a couple of important lessons along the way.
Lessons Learned – Beef Chili by Jacques
When we first read Jacques’s recipe for Beef Chili with Navy Beans, we were caught off guard by what he did with the beans. Jacques uses dry navy beans, but he doesn’t say to soak them. – In our experience, we’ve always soaked the beans overnight.
Friends, this is where Jacques taught us two important lessons.
Lesson 1: Use Newer Beans
If you watch this video on Jacques’s Facebook page you will hear him say that the cooking time depends entirely on how old the beans are. If they are older, say 1 or 2 years, you will have to cook them longer. He uses newer beans and usually doesn’t soak them. – The beans from our pantry were fairly old. So, we had to add an extra hour of cooking time.
Lesson 2: Save Time – Soak the Beans
From our Test Kitchen perspective, we would definitely soak the beans overnight. We think this would reduce the cooking time.
How to Cook Beef Chili with Navy Beans – Jacques’s Way
Now that we’ve learned some of Jacques’s techniques for making a healthier chili, here’s his recipe as adapted and tested by the SFH Test Kitchen.
The original recipe appears on page 207 of the cookbook Jacques Pépin’s Simple and Healthy Cooking.
Happy Cooking!!
Beef Chili with Navy Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry navy beans
- 1 pound lean stew beef, trimmed of all fat and cut into ¼” pieces
- 2 medium onions (about 8 ounces), peeled and cut into½” dice (about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 large tomato (about 8 ounces), cut into½” dice (about 1 ½ cups)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 5-6 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed and finely chopped (1 tablespoon)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 cups cold water
- Tabasco hot-pepper sauce (optional)
- 2-3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
Instructions
- Sort the beans, discarding any stones or damaged beans. Wash the beans in a sieve under cold water.
- Place the beans in a pot and add the beef, onions, tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, chili powder, salt and water. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low and boil very gently for 2 to 2½ hours.
- The mixture should be soupy but not too watery. If there is too much liquid, uncover the chili and boil it to reduce it; if the chili is too dry, add a little water.
- Taste the chili and add the hot-pepper sauce, if desired.
- Serve in bowls or on soup plates with shredded lettuce sprinkled on top as a garnish.
Nutrition Facts
Beef Chili with Navy Beans
Serves: 6 persons
| Amount Per Serving: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 401 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 6.7 g. (15% of calories) | 9.2% | |
| Saturated Fat 2.1 g. | 10% | |
| Trans Fat | ||
| Cholesterol 51 mg. | 17% | |
| Sodium 447 mg. | 18.6% | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 0 | |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 | |
| Sugars | ||
| Protein | ||
| Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
| Calcium | Iron | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Serendipity Farmhouse
Discover more from Serendipity Farmhouse
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.