A hearty, satisfying, veggie chili. Sure, you could add some ground beef or chorizo, but why would you when this is already so good? We love this with our Cornbread.
- 1 large onion
- 1 large carrot
- 1 medium celeriac
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 pounds (3 large) tomatoes
- or 2 cans diced tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp chipotles in adobo (optional)
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups Jacobs Cattle or Vermont Cranberry beans, dry or 2-3 cans kidney beans
- 1 cup Black Turtle beans, dry or 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
First, the beans:
- Using separate pots for the different beans (in our experience, black beans take a little longer to cook that Jacob’s Cattle or Cranberry beans), cover the beans with fresh water, add a healthy pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the beans are tender, about 1½ hours. (Maybe 2 hours for the black beans.) If using canned beans, drain and rinse them.
Then, the veggies:
-
Wash, peel, and trim the veggies, as needed. Chop the onion, carrot, celeriac, peppers and tomatoes. Finely chop the garlic and and chipotles.
-
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, bell peppers and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened but not browned, 10 to 12 minutes.
-
Add chipotle chiles, oregano, chili powder, cumin and salt and stir to blend. Add tomatoes with juices and 4 cups water. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and gently simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
-
Add beans and simmer to warm through. Ladle chili into bowls and serve.
Notes: for a secret ingredient, throw a cinnamon stick in during step 3. Successful experiments have also been had with a tablespoon of cocoa powder.