Mole-Style Baked Beans

Ingredients:

1 pound Great Northern beans–picked over, rinsed and soaked overnight in cold water
10 cups cold water plus 1/2 cup boiling water
2 dried chipotle chiles
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
4 slices of bacon, finely chopped
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. sweet paprika
1/8 tsp. chili powder
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Drain and rinse the beans. In a large saucepan, cover the beans with 6 cups of the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, soak the chipotle chiles in the 1/2 cup of boiling water until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain the chipotles. Discard the stem and seeds and mince the chiles.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until softened, 2-3 minutes. Add the bacon and cook until softened, 2-3 minutes longer. Stir in the remaining 4 cups of water and the chipotle chiles, brown sugar, tomato paste, wine, nutmeg, cloves, cumin, paprika and chili powder. Drain the beans and add them to the saucepan. Cover the beans and simmer over low heat until the sauce has thickened, about 1 hour. Stir in the chocolate and season the beans with salt and pepper. Serve with your favorite barbecued or grilled meats.

Recipe by Elizabeth Falkner.