Soup's On: Vegan Chilli

Over the weekend, we went from highs in the 40s to ones in the teens.  Needless to say, it was a little bit of a shock to the system.  I took it as a chance to make some delicious, bean filled chilli.  Working on spicy vegan recipes is a particular challenge for me, as it has taken a while to learn how to compensate for the lowered fat amount.  Sometimes they become overpowering, but I think I have finally found a balance that works for me.  If you like your chilli medium hot, use the recipe as is.  If you want it milder or hotter, adjust the spices accordingly.

Vegan Chilli

Ingredients

1 small onion diced

1 poblano pepper chopped

2 small sweet peppers (or 1 bell) chopped

3 cloves of garlic crushed

1 1/4 cup frozen corn kernels

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked or Spanish paprika

2 teaspoons chilli powder

1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper

2 tablespoons + 1 tablespoon canola oil separated

1/4 cup Malbec, Tempranillo, or other Spanish red wine

28 ounce can petite diced tomatoes

4 cans of beans (mixed types are best; I used pinto and kidney)

4 cups hot water

1 vegetable bullion cube

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy stock pot.  Saute the onions, poblano pepper, and sweet peppers until the onions are translucent.  Add the garlic and corn kernels and saute until corn is defrosted and sweated.

Add the additional 1 tablespoon of oil and all of the ground spices.  Saute the spices with the vegetables until most of the oil is absorbed by spices.  This will bloom the flavor and make the chilli taste if it has cooked all day. (If you think the chilli may be too hot, do not add the chipotle until the chilli is fully assembled and simmering to judge where the spice level stands.) 

Add the wine to deglaze the pan.  Scrape the fond (the crunchies of the veggies and spices) off the bottom of the pan and stir it into the liquid.  Add the tomatoes and bring it back to a boil to cook for 5 minutes.

Then add the water and a bullion cube.  Stir everything well to dissolve the bullion.  Add the beans and stir to incorporate them.

Bring the pot to a simmer, and when simmering, reduce the heat to low.  Allow it to cook for 45 minutes to one hour, stirring occasionally.  After it has simmered for 25 minutes, taste for seasoning.  If the chilli is spicier than you desire, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of canola oil and return to simmer.  The fat will reduce the impact of the heat.  The broth will change from a true red to a red-brown when the chilli is fully cooked.

This chilli is not as thick as ones using crushed tomatoes or tomato juice for the broth.  However, if you cook it longer, it will have a thicker sauce.  Allow the chilli to stand for 10 to 15 minutes after you remove it from the heat before serving.  (I think mine is roughly the temperature of lava when fully cooked.)  Garnish it with chopped onions, grated cheese (or substitute), or other topping of your choice.

A note on the beans: If you choose to cook your own, be sure to taste the chilli for salt as well as spice.  Home cooked beans are not salty unless you add it when cooking, so this recipe may be lacking in the salt department.  Also, when I cook my own beans for chilli, I like to add cumin, a dried pepper, or some garlic to the cooking water.  It gets the beans started down the path to chilli before even going into the pot.