This time of year has to be one of my favorite “holidays” of all times.
I love every aspect. Decorating our home. Handing out candy to the hordes of costumed kids who mob our storefront during the Downtown Petaluma Halloween Trick or Treat Trail – especially because I hand out organic gummy bears.
Now one might think that the kids would balk at this. One would be wrong.
Instead they love these, more than all the other items on the route – trust me. I hear them squeal, “They have my favorite!”
I love eating candy too, as I’ve shamefully detailed my sugar addiction in previous columns.
I really adore dressing up, especially if I can scare the living daylights out of people.
But what I love most of all is gathering friends to eat a belly-filling, soul-soothing meal, before heading out to trick-or-treat.
While our kids were growing up, I was always the one to host our group of friends, and now that all of them have gone off to make their way in the world, my costume-reluctant (yet always-nails-it) partner and I head to his brother’s for their Halloween party. His brother, Ian, hosts in much the same way I always did – lots of delicious food and drink to batten down the belly before all the sugar ingestion starts.
Ian is no slouch when it comes to cooking. He owned a restaurant in San Francisco called The Beast and The Hare, which had, objectively, the best fried chicken I’ve ever had. He’ll soon be opening an Italian-style sub shop in Sebastopol’s Barlow called Genero’s Deli, which should immediately get placed on your calendars for one of the hottest spots to sample in 2026.
Also like me, Ian loves to share food ideas and recipes so that we all eat more deliciously, thus has offered up his chili recipe, which sincerely outdoes them all. So until Genero’s opens, this recipe will have to be a sufficient placeholder.
His recipe is very meat-centric, while I offer one that is vegetarian and bean-centered.
We always serve both options to make sure everyone is taken care of.
You can prepare these chilies days ahead of time so you spend the bulk of your time on the other important facets – sourcing your candy, decorating your home and making your costumes.
But first, the accouterments. These matter.
We always offer skillet cornbread. If you’re short on time (which I can only assume you are, because, really, who isn’t?) fry up slivers of fresh corn tortillas, or just set out a bowl of corn chips. Really, a handful of these smashed up do the trick (and the treat). Along with the crunch, you’ll need some good fat – diced up avocado, shredded Estero Gold Reserve cheddar from Valley Ford Cheese, and sour cream from Straus.
Last, a bowl of chili always needs something fresh and zingy – we suggest chopped up cilantro, green onions and pickled onions.
Now for the chilies.
In my vegetarian version, I use beans from local grower Kiba Farms, so that I’m supporting our very vital food systems here in Sonoma County. If you have an Instant Pot, your life will be so much easier as you can cook dried beans in 30 minutes.
But if you’re really short on time, grab some Eden Organic canned beans – a delicious alternative.
Vegetarian White Bean Chili
- 12 ounces dried white beans if using Instant Pot (or 2 15.5 ounce cans white beans, rinsed)
- 5 cups water if using Instant Pot (or vegetable broth)
- 3 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 white onion, medium dice
- 1 and 1/2 pounds tomatillos (about 10-12), hulled, scrubbed clean, and halved
- 1 poblano or pasilla pepper, medium dice
- 1 jalapeno, medium dice, seeded
- 1 serrano pepper, medium dice, seeded
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 tablespoon and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (divided)
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican oregano
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
- ½ cup cilantro leaves and stems, rough chopped
- If desired: 1 16 oz bag frozen white sweet corn, defrosted
Directions:
Set the oven to broil.
Boil the water. Put the beans in an Instant Pot, and pour the boiling water along with one tablespoon of salt over them. Close the lid and set pressure cooker time for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, toss together the tomatillos, onion, peppers, garlic, oil, and the rest of the salt, and place on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Place on a medium-high shelf in the oven and broil for 10-20 minutes (or until very melted), stirring occasionally. Puree the tomatillo-pepper mix with ½ cup cilantro leaves/stems in a blender. When the beans are done, stir this mix into the beans. Stir in the corn, if using. Set the pressure cooker to Keep Warm while you prepare all your accoutrements.
Ian Marks’ Meaty Chili:
- 1 winter squash (any type) cut into 2″x2″ cubes
- 5 each dried chilies: guajillo chili, New Mexico, Cascabel, deseeded
- 2# beef chuck or stew meat, cubed 3″x3″
- 1 cup dried Gigante beans (or 2 cans of any white beans)
- ¼ cup avocado or grapeseed (or other neutral oil)
- 2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon beef paste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon ground fennel
Directions:
Follow soaking instructions for dry beans, and then cook them. This can be done a day or two ahead of time, or if using canned beans, drain and rinse them.
Toss the winter squash cubes with the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast at 400°F for 15 minutes.
Heat your heavy bottomed Dutch oven (the pan you’ll eventually cook the chili in) over medium-high heat. Toast the dried chilies in the pan until smoking but not burnt. Remove from the pan and let cool. Toast the cumin, coriander and fennel in the pan. Let cool. Grind the spices and chilis in a spice grinder and set aside. Wipe out the Dutch oven and then return to the medium high flame. Toss the beef cubes with the Better Than Bouillon, tomato paste, and salt. Add grapeseed or avocado oil to the preheated dutch oven. Sear the beef cubes in small batches. Remove the meat from the pot.
Make your chili paste.
Chili paste:
- 2 qt chicken stock (+ more as you cook)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 white onion, minced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bunch of cilantro stems
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter (optional)
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons allspice
Return the sauce pan to the stove over medium heat. Add olive oil and tomato paste and start moving around the pan left behind from the meat searing. Add onions, garlic, cilantro stems, the spices and the dried chilis you ground. Sauté for about 8 minutes. Add fish sauce and let cook down for three minutes. Add the peanut butter.
Add the beef and beans to the pot, and enough chicken stock to cover the whole batch. Cook on a low-medium flame for about 3 hours. You want a low simmer. Stir now and again, scraping the bottom to make sure nothing is sticking. Add more stock as needed. Once you’ve reached a point where the beans are cooked through (don’t just taste one bean! Taste like 15 of them. My wife hates an uncooked bean) and the beef is fork tender, you’re ready.
Pull the meat out and shred it up. Add it back to the pot along with the pumpkin, and cook for another 15 minutes on low.
Don’t worry if there is a lot of liquid – the cooling and resting phase will allow the chili to soak up any remaining liquid. Reheat on Halloween night.
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