My fellow culinary Terps, I have a confession: I was doing so well on my New Year’s resolution to eat well, but this weekend I gorged myself on chips, soda, steak, buffalo wings and beer (Don’t worry, turtles, I’m 21).
Let’s be real, we’re all guilty. We make resolutions to eat healthy, lose weight and work out. Then Super Bowl weekend comes around. Ouch.
Now that the Super Bowl is over, I’m back to my Jan. 1 diet. One of the hallmarks of my new routine? Eating vegetarian. Now, you meat lovers may be gasping in horror, but it’s really not that bad.
This recipe is a toast to vegetarian meals that don’t involve tofu and alfalfa sprouts. It’s not that those things aren’t great (I’m actually planning on experimenting with growing my own vegetables soon) but they’re not the best meat substitutes.
I made a pot of chili for my vegetarian friend recently that actually didn’t taste like stupid soup with spices in it. I used a half pound of dried beans (equivalent to a 15-ounce can or two) for body and a few cremini mushrooms for that meat-like umami flavor we all crave.
I have three caveats about the following recipe. First, I’m not a measure-er. I despise following recipes exactly. Therefore, the following is approximate. Secondly, dried beans are a pain, so I’ll adjust the recipe for canned beans to make life easier. Lastly, I’m aware that your uncle in Texas and second cousin from Cincinnati both have the only conceivable chili recipe. This is just how I happened to make chili last week.
- Onion, celery, carrot (one each)
- 3-5 cremini mushrooms
- 1-3 teaspoons fresh garlic
- 2-3 tablespoons chili-related spices
- 1-2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 can beer
- 2 cups vegetable broth
or 1 vegetable of beef bouillon cube
or 1 Knorr Homemade Stock container
- 1 dried ancho chili
- 1-2 cans of unflavored beans
Procedure
- Mince or shred your onion, carrot and celery. Start to sweat them in a pan with some oil.
(If your knife skills aren’t the best, use a shredder. Keep the pan over medium-low heat until the mirepoix is translucent. That’s called “sweating.”) - Halfway through the sweat, add your mushrooms, cleaned and chopped into pieces. (I like to keep my mushrooms in big pieces, but mincing or shredding is fine.)
- When your vegetables are translucent, add the garlic and spices. (Jarred garlic is fine, but fresh is better. Use a garlic press, smash it with your knife or shred it. As for spices, chili powder is always reliable. Maybe try adding some extra cumin, coriander, cinnamon or smoked paprika.)
- Stir in the tomato paste and let it brown slightly. (More paste equals more tomato-y taste. Make sure not to let it burn. Browning it just slightly helps give the sauce some bitterness and umami that it needs.)
- Add the beer and broth or stock. (The beer is of course optional, but I love the flavor of beer in chili. If you go with the bouillon cube or “homemade stock” gelatin, add some extra water according to the instructions.)
- Pour a cup of steaming water over the ancho chili and let it sit 5 minutes. Remove the seeds, chop it finely, and toss it in. (This is optional but it adds a really nice, smoky flavor. I even like to add the water in which I soaked it.)
- Let the chili simmer over medium-low heat for at least an hour, stirring periodically. (The goal is to reduce and thicken the chili so the flavors are more concentrated. If it ever gets too thick or starts to burn before the simmering time is up, add a cup of water.)
- Fifteen minutes before the end of the simmering time, add the can or two of beans, drained and rinsed.
- Dig in.