Veggie Chili? What are ya nuts?

Posted by Michael on Jun 28, 2008 in Recipes | 0 comments

2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped fine
hot chilies, hot sauce or chli flakes to taste
1 large ancho pepper (or just use one of those “dried Mexican peppers” you see at the Superstore), chopped fine
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
28 oz can plum tomatoes (put them in a bowl and mash up with your bare hands – it’s fun!!!)
half a 5 oz can tomato paste
19 oz can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
19 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup each of chopped zucchini, frozen or fresh corn niblets, fresh white button mushrooms, sliced
pinch of dired oregano
a tablespoon or two of brown sugar
salt and plenty of fresh ground black pepper to taste

If you have a blender or food processor, don’t worry about chopping the onions, bell pepper, garlic and ancho peppers too fine – just rough chop will do.
Heat a big pot over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes and add the oil, then the onion. Cook for a minute or two then throw in the chopped peppers (and hot peppers if you’re using them). Cook for three or four minutes to really soften the bell pepper. Throw in the garlic, cumin and paprika and keep stirring for a minute until you start getting really hungry. Toss in the tomatoes and tomato paste. At this point, you can transfer the whole thing to a blender or food processor and blend it nice and smooth and return it to the pot. Alternately, you can just leave it nice and chunky if you prefer that texture, just break up the tomatoes with a spoon or fork.
When the mixture begins to bubble, reduce heat to low and let it simmer for at least a half hour, driving you nuts from the fabulous aroma. Stir in the two types of beans, the veggies and seasonings and let it heat through at least another 10 minutes. Serve over rice or in a bowl with some good nacho chips on the side.