Winter Rituals: Chili 🌶️
January 12, 2021
I look forward to making chili every winter. And despite having several linked recipes through my many years of blogging about making chili, each year I sniff around the w.w.w. thinking that a new magical chili recipe exists. To end this misguided annual hunt, I am posting the general chili-making sequence, easily modified; my favorite cornbread recipe; and a cooling tofu sour cream recipe to complete the meal. Right here! (You’re welcome, future self.)
The Vegetables
First, you need colorful vegetables. Multiple kinds of peppers are most important. Then onion and garlic. It’s a good time to use whatever you have laying around. But if you do have to head to the store, as I had to, have fun with color and heat level. I got these beauties from my favorite corner store. You have to have a good corner store around in NYC–it’s like Cheers. And there are days the only conversation I have in real life are with the beloved Turkish guys at my favorite corner store. Oh yes, take a look at the bundles of almost discarded veggies that places bag up—since you’ll be using it all immediately.
Extra points for peppers that resemble huge devil horns.
The Vegetables
1 white onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
About 2 cups of peppers or other vegetables, assorted
2 Tb Olive oil
First Step
1.) Sauté onion, garlic and peppers/veggies with the olive oil until cooked through and slightly browned, approximately 5-6 minutes.
[Want to add some peppers or green onion to your cornbread? Diced them real fine and set aside!]
The Spice Blend / “Flava”
This is a general guide. Feel free to alter to your liking. Personally I thought this was a bit too spicy, but my cornbread would be a sweet balancing bite and the tofu sour cream could cool things down.
1 Tb Cocoa powder
2 Tb Chili powder
1 Tb Ground cumin
1 tsp Smoked paprika
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Ground black pepper
1 Tb light molasses
Second Step
2.) Add all dry spices/flava to vegetables and stir to combine. Cook to activate the spices for a minute or two, then add the molasses. Stir all until well-incorporated.
Tomato & Texture
Like the vegetables, you want some color contrast with your beans and some heartiness with a grain, as well as lotza tomato. Mix it up, “get wild,” or use what you have. (Remember to save the aquafaba for canned white beans–or, hey, see what happens when you whip up black bean aquafaba. Has anyone done that yet?)
Tomato & Texture
1 cup Red lentils (or other grain–quinoa, millet, etc)
1 28-ounce can Diced tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth (or water if you’re in a bind. Just keep tasting for flavor)
3 cans of beans (15 ounce), rinsed and drained: Kidney, Black bean, Black-eyed peas, Cannellini beans, Chickpeas, Great Northern beans, Pinto beans, etc.
Third & Final Step
3.) Add the lentils, broth/water, and beans to the party. Stir to combine.
Now it’s ready to cook away. Be sure to taste and add what you find necessary. Check your produce drawers and freezer, etc for anything else that you can utilize. Bring it to a boil, then let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Mind the cook time for your grain–red lentils, which I used, cook much quicker than others.
Garnishes
The possibilities are endless. I highly recommend garnishing your chili well–as a refuge for the heat but also an pleasing presentation. Options:
Avocado
Scallion
Leftover diced pepper
Diced white onion
Roasted okra… or roasted anything
Cilantro
Cornbread
This is one of my favorite recipes. It is award-winning, so don’t mess with perfection. Unless you’re going at add super finely diced veggies to it. It is rather sweet in my view, so feel free to cut the sugar slightly if you’re not pairing it with a spicy chili–in which case the sweetness is welcoming.
Ingredients
2 Tb Ground flax seed
6 Tb Water
1 cup All-purpose flour
1 cup Cornmeal
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup Soy milk
1/4 cup canola oil
Optional veggies diced super fine
Steps
1.) Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 8-inch-square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2.) Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the ground flax seed, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer the ground flax seed in the water for 3 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
3.) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well-combined.
4.) Add the ground flax seed mixture, soy milk, and canola oil to the flour mixture. Beat just until smooth (do not overbeat.)
5.) Turn into prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
6.) Cool on wire rack 10 minutes; invert cornbread onto wire rack, then turn right side up and continue to cool until warm, about 10 minutes longer. Cut into pieces and serve.
Quick Tofu Sour Cream
I highly recommend this addition too. It helps the meal be so much more satisfying. And it’s very easy once you get your hands on some silken tofu. Then you just need a pretty vessel to assemble all. This terracotta pot was a gift from one of my student’s parents. I knew it’d look great with chili in it.
Ingredients
1 package of Silken tofu
2 Tb Lemon juice
1 Tb Red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp Salt
Steps
1.) Place everything in a food processor and blend until smooth. Scrape the sides and blend again. Let it set an airtight container for at least an hour.
