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The best vegetarian chili

January 23, 2012 //
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That’s right. This is supposedly the best vegetarian chili in the world. It’s adapted from a popular recipe on allrecipes.com and I have to say, it’s mighty tasty. Shout out/apology to my cousin Bill, a chef in Texas, who might take issue with the idea that chili can even be vegetarian let alone mighty tasty.

Alright, for starters, it’s been cold here in New York the past two weeks. After tackling the carrot soup thing I wanted more stick-to-your-ribs fare but I haven’t been buying or cooking much meat. So instead of braised short ribs, beef bourguignon, or polenta with sausage ragù, I went with a chili packed with beans, veggies, spice, and all the warmth with none of the meat.

The original recipe called for an inordinate amount of jalapeños and chopped green chile peppers so I toned these down and my version still had a little kick. You could add a few dashes of tabasco to your bowl if you find it’s lacking heat. The recipe also called for such oddities as ground Boca burgers – I cut these out and increased the veggies. And of course, if possible, start with cooked dried beans instead of cans but don’t worry about it if you buy canned.

Vegetarian Chili
Adapted from allrecipes.com
Serves 8

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp salt
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (4-oz.) can chopped green chile peppers, drained
3 (28-oz.) cans whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tbsp ground black pepper
1 c cooked (or 1 15-oz. can) kidney beans
1 c cooked (or 1 15-oz. can) garbanzo beans
1 c cooked (or 1 15-oz. can) black beans
1 package (15-oz.) frozen whole kernel corn

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeño, garlic, and green chile peppers. Cook for another 10 minutes or so until the celery and bell peppers have softened.

Mix the tomatoes into the pot, breaking them up into smaller pieces. Season with chili powder and black pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzos, and black beans. Bring to a boil and, if there seems to be a lot of liquid, let it boil until some of the liquid evaporates, roughly 10-25 minutes. Then lower the heat and simmer for additional half hour or so. Whether you have a lid on or not depends on if or how much you want liquid to evaporate. Stir in the corn five minutes before turning off the heat.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream, creme fraiche, or shredded cheese, sliced scallions, and maybe some avocado. I also served this with broccoli that had been roasted in the oven on 400 degrees for 25 minutes and tossed with olive oil and salt.

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Categories Beans, Savory, Winter

Shrugging off the cold: carrot-miso-ginger soup

January 16, 2012 //
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Yesterday may have been the coldest day of winter so far. I don’t have proof to back that up except it was the first day I’ve worn tights under my jeans and had to use a scarf to cover my face and not just my neck. Also, I passed at least two people on the street who had near-frozen icicles of snot dripping down their nose. Even my yoga class went from an attendance of twenty the week before, to a measly six brave souls.

Luckily I remembered what my eighth-grade science teacher in Vermont taught me about layering: loose layers, wool is preferred, leave enough room for air to circulate and heat up, and most importantly tuck everything in so no skin is exposed in any way. New England common sense, of course, but wizardry to a girl from Long Island who never owned a pair of gloves.

So it was the perfect day to make soup. But instead of the usual hearty favorites—mushroom barley, bean chili,  chowder —my friend Jill and I settled on this carrot-ginger-miso recipe from one of our favorite blogs, Smitten Kitchen. While not hearty per se it was warming and comforting and will keep you on track for hitting your new year’s whatchamacallits by being all healthy and vegan and whatnot.

We served the soup with a crunchy cucumber salad with ginger, sesame, and scallion from Cook’s Illustrated and a dark rye bread that Jill made with cocoa and espresso (it’s like your toast and coffee in one). Accompanied with the latest episode of Downton Abbey I forgot all about the blustery cold outside. (Will Matthew and Mary get together already, jeez.)

I’m publishing the recipe as is, but Jill and I agreed we’d make a few adjustments in the future. For one, the consistency was very puréed, almost baby-food-like, which, don’t get me wrong, can be enjoyable. But I’d increase the vegetable broth. Next, the recipe only calls for 1/4 cup white miso, but I’d ratchet that on up to 1/2 c if you’re feeling bold. As is you could barely discern the miso flavor. Finally, I’d add a tablespoon or two of rice wine vinegar if you have it, it was missing just a tiny acidic zing. But otherwise I really enjoyed it and would definitely make again.

Carrot-Ginger-Miso Soup
From SmittenKitchen.com
Makes 4 servings

2 tbsp olive oil
2 pounds carrots, peeled, thinly sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 regular or 6 small garlic cloves, peeled or smashed
1 tbsp finely chopped or grated ginger (or more)
4 c vegetable broth
1/4 c white miso paste, or more
Toasted sesame oil, for drizzling
2 scallions, very thinly sliced, for garnish*

Heat the oil in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the broth and ginger. Cover and simmer until carrots are tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Purée soup in batches in blender or with an immersion blender. In a small bowl whisk together the miso and 1/2 cup of the soup. Stir the mixture back into the pot of soup. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and additional miso.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with a drizzle of sesame oil and scallions.

*You can do a quick pickle of the scallions by letting them marinate in a mixture of 6 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tbsp water, 1 tbsp salt, and 1 1/2 tsp sugar while you’re making the soup.

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Categories Salads, Savory, Soup, Winter

Black Bean Soup with Roasted Garlic and Tomatoes

January 4, 2012 //
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Heirloom beans are romantic, beautiful, and actually good for the soil and your body. So what’s not to like?

So says Steve Sando, founder of Rancho Gordo, a farm based in Napa, California that grows heirloom beans and produce. I couldn’t agree more. I mean, even the names are romantic: Good Mother Stallard Beans, Jacob’s Cattle Beans, Eye of the Tiger Beans, European Soldiers, Red Nightfall, Yellow Indian Woman, Scarlet Runners, Rio Zape, and Black Valentines. Rancho Gordo is the big pinto in town. One of his most ardent fans is Thomas Keller, who uses the beans in all of his kitchens, from the French Laundry to Per Se.

Last week, with New Year’s Eve on the horizon, I decided to pull out the Rancho Gordo cookbook, Heirloom Beans, and see what Sando had to say about making a big pot of warm, hearty soup. Traditonally, in the southeastern United Stations anyway, it’s good luck to eat beans on New Year’s day, particularly black-eyed peas. For New Year’s Eve company, I settled on a spicy-sounding Caribbean black bean soup with roasted garlic and tomatoes. Just the thing to ring in the new year and warm up a cold night.

2012 is gonna be an excellent year, don’t you think?

Caribbean Black Bean Soup with Roasted Garlic and Tomatoes
Serves 4

6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 whole fresh or canned plum tomatoes, with juice
salt
1/2 lb black valentine or black beans, cooked, with reserved broth*
1/2 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 c chicken or vegetable broth**
freshly ground black pepper
sour cream, for garnish
1 avocado, pitted and sliced, for garnish
fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

*I’d recommend cooking your beans by first soaking them for a minimum of 2 hours and maximum of overnight, covered with about 2 inches of water. (Actually first make sure you rinse them thoroughly and pick out any pebbles.) After soaking, pour the beans with their soaking water into a large pot, covered by about 1 inch of water (or stock). For flavor you can add a carrot, celery stalk, fennel bulb, onion, leeks, whole garlic cloves, black peppercorns, bay leaf, juniper berries, mustard seeds. You can also keep it simple and not add much. Just don’t add salt until after they’re cooked. Bring the beans and water to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer, with a partial lid, and cook until done, which can take as little as 1 hour or as much as 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Put the garlic cloves on a sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap the foil. Put the tomatoes in a baking dish, and if using fresh tomatoes, cut them in half and put them cut side down in the dish. Season with salt and drizzle with olive oil. Roast the garlic and tomatoes until soft, fragrant, and brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the beans and their broth in a soup pot and warm over low heat.

**I recommend making your own broth. For a quick vegetable broth I brought about 1 quart of water to a boil in a stock pot with 1 carrot, cut in half, 1 onion, also halved, 1 fennel bulb, halved, 1 celery stalk, halved, 1 clove of garlic, smashed, and a little satchel of spices: black peppercorns, mustard seeds, juniper berries, and cumin seeds.

In a medium, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion, jalapeño, and carrot and sauté until fragrant and beginning to caramelize, about 10-12 minutes. Add the cooked vegetables, cumin, oregano, cayenne, and broth to the beans.

Peel the roasted garlic cloves; chop the garlic and tomatoes coarsely and add to the beans. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook until the vegetables are soft and the flavors are blended, about 15 minutes.

Let the soup cool slightly, then transfer about half to a blender and blend until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and stir to combine. Season to taste. Serve the soup garnished with sour cream, avocado, and cilantro. Corn bread would make a nice side dish.

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Categories Avocado, Beans, Cookbooks, Entertaining, Holidays, Savory, Winter
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