Casey’s Vegan Chili

It's Lent and chili is one of my favorite food.  I have been working on a vegan version to have for meatless Fridays and other reasons.  I've tried about five or six versus until I settled in on this one. In the end I wanted a chili that felt as filling as one con carne versus having the same exact texture. Chili, for me, must "stick to the ribs." That is the source of comfort for me.

In my quest for a vegan chili, I made sure that I never started it with a mirepoix. I'm not a champion for carrots in my chili; it's my personal pet peeve.  You may find it odd that that is what drives me. However, I searched for the appropriate base for this meal and centered in on a vegetable base of onion, garlic and peppers which is more of a Spanish nod. While I know kale isn't really a Mexican ingredient, the baby blue squash is. Yet if you can't find that squash, any zucchini or summer squash will do. I wanted to stick with more authentic vegetables, so I added the jalapeño to the mix since that pepper is a chili. Be warned, this recipe has some residual heat from the jalapeño.

Also I'm serious about chopping the kale as finely as possible; the smaller the pieces the more dense the chili feels.

Ingredients:

Serving suggestion

• 2 T olive oil
• 1½ cps onions, chopped (one large onion)
• 3 cps peppers, chopped (2 large peppers)
• 1 jalapeño, chopped 
• 8 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 lbs kale, chopped as small as possible
• 2 cps baby blue squash, cubed (one large squash)
• 5 T chili powder 
• 1 T ground cumin
• 1 t dried basil
• ½ t dried oregano
• ½ t dried thyme
• ½ t salt, or to taste 
• ½ t black pepper, or to taste
• 1 6 oz tomato paste
• 1 28 oz crushed tomatoes with added puree
• 1 14½ -oz vegetable broth
• 1 12 oz beer 
• 3 15.5 oz cans of beans, drained if desired

Directions:

1. Heat a large sauce pan, dutch oven, etc. over medium heat; add the oil and heat through. Stir in the onion, garlic, peppers and jalapeño; cook until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.
2. Sauté the kale, about 1/3 of the kale a time, until about 1/3 of the original volume, about 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Add the cubed squash and continue to sauté for 5 minutes.
4. Add chili powder, cumin, basil, oregano, thyme, salt and black pepper, and cook until the aroma is released, about 1-2 minutes more.
5. Mix in tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, broth and beer. (Start with the paste first, mixing well into the kale – it helps to get the paste distributed into the other liquids.)
6. Bring to a boil, then add the beans.
7. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened to desired consistency, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, about 1 hour 15 minutes or longer.
8. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

So I played around with this recipes and I like to use a variety of beans in my chili. Another helpful hint is to buy a 12 oz can of tomato paste, then use half and freeze the remaining. I tend to make chili and butter chicken in close proximity in time so the remaining paste is never in the freeze for too long.

Lastly, like the sugo alla puttanesca, this is a great braising liquid - especially for pork - which is such a Tex-Mex protein. I brown the pork on all sides and top with 1/2 cup of chili per 1/4 pound of meat - adding additional water, wine or broth to thin the sauce out if needed, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, and let simmer for at least an hour.