Black Bean Chowder with Yogurt-Cilantro Relish

The Pioneer Woman has a lot of great recipes with wonderful pictures. This is one that looked so good and it was. We used canned beans this time around, but I wonder how it would taste if we actually used dry beans instead. --Mark

Ingredients:

1 32 oz. package dried black beans
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
olive oil
1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
6 cups chicken stock
6 cups milk
1 T butter
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 T flour
2 T chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp mild curry powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Relish:
1 cup plain yogurt
2 cups chopped cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions:

Place beans in a colander and rinse the beans well. Place in an 8-quart Dutch oven 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 them well.

Gently saute the onion and garlic in the stock pot with 2-3 T of olive oil, then add diced green chilies. Place beans back in the Dutch oven and add chicken stock, chili powder, cumin, curry powder, cayenne and salt and pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally. After one hour is up, add the milk and 2 T 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 chowder into bowls and top with one or two T of yogurt-cilantro relish placed in the center. Serve with warm tortillas.

Notes:

You can puree the chowder if you want a more "elegant" presentation. For us, the lumpy, yet delicious, form was good enough.