By Keta Kosman, West Point Grey Community Centre Association Board Member
As summer passes and winter approaches, thoughts turn from delicious fruit plates and beautiful bowls of salad to more hearty fare like roasts and stews. For this recipe, I decided to return to the reliable old kidney bean and make a chili.
All you need is the usual root vegetables, a couple of cans of tomatoes, some stock (usually I make my own, but was under a deadline) and the beans. Then it’s up to you to add whatever you want: more vegetables, meat, leftovers or just have it as-is.
Ingredients:
- “the usual root vegetables”: onion, garlic, carrot, celery
- 2 large cans of tomatoes
- stock
- red chili beans or kidney beans
- jalapeno peppers, chilis
- additional vegetables to be added later; for this recipe, I used spinach and a zucchini
Instructions:
- I start by simmering the beans with an onion and some chilis for approx 1 hour so that they take on more flavour
- Soften root vegetables in a heavy pot or pan (preferably just use the big pot you’re going to cook the chili in), cover. Add salt and petter after approximately 5 minutes
- Wash and set aside additional veg
- Once the root veg has cooked down – approx 15 minutes under cover – add kidney or chili beans, canned tomatoes, stock, more garlic and jalapeno and chili peppers. Add a chopped potato for a thicker sauce
How spicy?
- For mild chili: cut peppers in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, then remove big hunks of peppers later
- For medium spicy: slice peppers lengthwise, remove seeds, then chop roughly
- If you fear no spice, just cut up the jalapeno and chilis with seeds and add them to the pot
- Add additional veg
- Cover and let cook for 1 hour
- Serve! Some people like chili with meat. I had a leftover pork chop in the fridge, so I sliced and added it to the bowl. It can be served over potatoes, rice or pasta. Another option is to cover it with cheese and serve it with garlic bread or regular bread
- Store in the fridge and eat the deliciousness over the week, however you prefer! You can also separate it into smaller portions and freeze it to enjoy later.