This soup recipe was for Vegetarian Chili, which, while lovely, is likely to be a one-shot-wonder for the Recipe Book. This is because Josh takes his chili very seriously. Very seriously. So seriously that he even won a blind chili competition at his old office. Which means he likes being the chili-maker of the house. And since his chili is in fact quite good, and since I don't have to do the work and just reap the benefits, I'm not about to mess with it.
Also, a few years ago, back when I lived in Chicago and was not yet married, I may have decided to make chili for New Year's Eve one year when my friend Andy was visiting. And maybe, I decided to serve it with champagne, what with it being New Year's Eve and all. And maybe, just maybe, we all then spent the rest of the night blowing was sounded like New Year's horns out of our asses. Perhaps not my wisest decision.
Still, it was nice to try Dorothy's, even if mid-August isn't the best time for chili, which in my mind is basically a sour-cream delivery device. The technical aspect of chili isn't too challenging - cut some things up, measure some things out, then toss them in a pot - so it wasn't about possibly messing up. It's just about getting the mix right. This one was quite delightful, especially for a non-meat chili. Normally I look at chili, although yummy, as though I am painting my innards with meat and fat and cheese. This time it's hard to feel so bad (even though the sour cream and cheese were en force) because it's basically a festively colored bucket of beans.
Dorothy Lewis's chili features a lot of tomatoes and vinegar and other things that give it quite a tangy taste, which is nice because all the cumin and chili powder gave off a rather foreboding smell as it cooked. It also includes about a zillion more ingredients than previous chilis either Josh or I have made, and thanks to the cooking for 13 hours (okay 2), it turns out that I managed to eat - nay, enjoy - the celery, green pepper and raisins, which are all unusual for me.
As an added benefit, I didn't plan correctly once the pot was on suddenly realized the chili wouldn't be ready until way too late for dinner. I remedied this by planning on eating this for lunch the next day. However, as Josh doesn't like leftover chili (even though this recipe actually recommends it as such), it has basically fallen to me to eat the bulk. He did have a marvelous idea: serve it as a dip at my big birthday bash on Friday night, which we did and which went over swimmingly. Unfortunately, I forgot there was beer in until just now; hope none of those party chili eaters were on the wagon. Whoops.
Beware! There is beer in them there chili!Vegetarian Chili
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cup chopped celery (oh how I hate you, celery)
1 1/2 cup chopped green pepper (and you too, green pepper)
1 cup chopped onion*
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 14.5 oz cans chopped tomatoes or 2 28 oz cans
3 15-16 oz cans beans (kidney, black, norther, pinto, black-eyed peas, and/or garbanzo), rinsed and drained
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3-4 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp dried parsely (no! garden fresh!)
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried basil, crushed (only heeded because your basil plant is almost nude)
1 1/2 tsp oregano, crushed (or, if you're me, fresh from the garden because screw that)
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground allspice (isn't this for, like, cookies?)
1/2 tsp salt (kosher!)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp bottled hot sauce
1 bay leaf
1 12-oz can beer (miller lite!)
1/4 cup cashew nuts (surprisingly lovely chili addition - must try)
shredded cheese (optional - NOT! Required!)
In a 4-6 qt pot, or, you know, whatever pot you imagine is somewhere in that neighborhood, heat oil and cook celery, green pepper, onion and garlic for about 10 minutes or until tender. Think to yourself: Boy am I happy to use up this celery, but I am not going to like it. Or this damn green pepper. Damn pepper.
Stir in all of the remaining ingredients EXCEPT beer, cashews, and cheese. Ignore call for dried herbs and use fresh ones from the garden wherever possible (i.e. parsley and oregano). Bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Debate whether this means covered or uncovered. Decide it means covered. Look at the clock. Realize it is almost 8pm. Call Josh. Ask him to bring home dinner.
Add beer, bring back to a boil, then simmer uncovered for another 30 minutes or until desired consistency. Remove bay leaf. Or leave it in planning to remove it from whatever bowl it crops up in because how the @#$@# are you supposed to find it in this huge vat?
Stir in cashews and serve. Top each serving with shredded cheese if desired (there is no if).
Hints from Dorothy: When I have made this, I have added more than 1/4 cup cashews. If you are planning on leftovers, don't add the cashews until you are ready to serve. This chili is also better if made a day ahead and allowed to mellow.
Hints from Heather: Cashews in chili = good. Champagne with chili = not.
*Chopping method used: Mike Milch's, which failed again. Has the spell broken?
Onion cutting method to try: put lemon juice on your knife and cutting board. SERIOUSLY, it works. I learned this technique when I was a teenager and made sandwiches for money. As part of prep work I had to cut tons of onions, and my eyes are so sensitive that I would literally have tears streaming down my face. I could barely see what I was doing. This method saved me.
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