This past week, as part of my challenge to myself to cook more often, I decided to tackle my dad’s (ah-maze-ing) vegetarian chili! He is a meat-eater, but took pity on me as a vegetarian and modified his super recipe to fit us herbivores. So I tried it out, and I am proud to say it was a success! (At least, I would consider it to be, because the leftovers are all gone and that was one big pot!)
I planned to make it on Thursday night, but became concerned when it got suuuper warm outside! It was gorgeous weather, but not something you would want to eat hot, spicy chili in! Luckily, as the sun went down, it became cooler, but still warm enough to have the windows open.
Then it was time to cook! I tied back my hair for aerodynamic purposes and put on the Food Network for a culinary vibe. (The Best Thing I Ever Ate was on for encouragement!) Consulting the instructions I had written down, I gathered everything up and began chopping onions, peppers and garlic, and sautéed them very slowly. I was extra proud of myself for eyeballing the onion to pepper ratio and found it was perfectly 50/50 (the way I like it!).
(Note: my dad doesn’t use recipes, so his “instructions” were very informal and left some things to my own little imagination…)
I ran into a bit of confusion though, when my instructions read 1-2 cans of tomato sauce, and I had four. Turns out my dad, who went shopping with me while I was visiting at home, had originally put two huge cans in my cart, but then went back for four little ones later. I ended up using two because I don’t have a humongous pot (chili for daaayyyysss!!!). Anyway, after putting all the beans and tomato-y things and seasonings in, I let it simmer for an hour and then decided it needed half an hour more as well as more cumin and chili powder.
The end result was pretty good considering it was my first batch of chili, and I only called my dad once! It definitely was not as good as my dad’s, but there’s a whole lot of experience to catch up with there. I’m going to make it for my family the next time I’m home from school so they can tell me what it needs!
Things I have learned about chili making:
1. Use a BIG POT! You will want more!
2. Don’t try to bring it to a simmer on a super low heat right away….it’s okay to turn it up a bit or else you will be waiting forever and starving your roommates! (Then turn it waayyy down, of course!)
3. Don’t be afraid of the hot sauce but do be afraid of the ancho chili seasoning…
4. Cooking puts you in a great mood! Do it more often!
What’s that? You are waiting for a recipe? Sorry kids, this one’s a secret as it’s not mine. When I develop my own recipe, it’s all yours! (coming soon!...)
After a great night of yummy veggie chili, warm weather, and The Bourne Identity on TV, I looked forward to my next dish in which I will go head to head with an old enemy:
MAJADRA (dun dun dunnnnn…)
Yes, I am re-attempting to miserably failed, dreaded Majadra. However, the recipe that I found online last time was super boring, so I am going to use it for measurement’s sake and mix it up myself to make it more exciting! It will be a cooking experiment sans recipe! (And judging by my prior history, these usually turn out fantastic or awful….gulp)
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