Chanterelle & Shiitake Black Bean Chili with Sour Cherrie

This is not your average pot of chili. This is the recipe that makes carnivores forget there’s no meat in the bowl.

Four pounds of wild chanterelle and shiitake mushrooms bring a deep, earthy richness that stands up to a lineup of five different chiles: ancho, chipotle, pasilla, habanero, and green bell pepper.

Black beans and spelt berries simmer in a mix of tomato juice and orange juice (yes, orange juice), which adds a fruity brightness you’d never expect but absolutely works.

Fresh corn, oregano, cumin, and scallions layer in more complexity, and then the finishing touch: dried sour cherries stirred in at the end, their tartness cutting through all that smoky heat like a revelation.

Chef Tips

• Use just a quarter of a habanero. That’s not a suggestion, it’s a survival strategy. You can always add more heat. You can never take it away.
• Sauté the mushrooms in smoking-hot oil in a separate pan. You want seared and golden, not soggy and steamed.
• The spelt berries need the full 1.5-hour simmer with the beans to soften properly. Don’t shortcut this step.
• Dried sour cherries go in right at the end. They just need to warm through and soften slightly while keeping their tart punch.