The Best Vegetarian Chili in the Whole Wide World

Okay, maybe not, but...
From The Bean Bible by Aliza Green

Never actually made this to the exact ingredient, but the hominy (which I've only used canned) seems to be key. As for rutabagas and celery root, hmmm.

This is a huge batch.

1 # dried hominy

1 1/2 cups dry black turtle beans, cooked and drained, or 4 cups canned

1 1/2 cups dry red kidney beans, cooked and drained, or 4 cups canned

8 cups water

4 bay leaves

1/2 cup olive oil

1 # onions, chopped

1 # carrots, diced

1/4 cup chopped garlic

2 28-oz cans chopped tomatoes

1 celery root, diced

1 rutabaga, diced

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed

salt & pepper

1/4 cup chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (including sauce)

2 tsp. ground allspice

2 T. dried oregano

2 T. ground toasted cumin

cilantro for garnish

1. In a large bowl soak hominy in water to cover 12 hours

2. Drain, rinse, add to pot with 8 cups water and bay leaves, bring to boil, cover and simmer about 2 hours until firm but cooked through. Or you could just buy canned and skip these steps.

3. Heat olive oil. Add onions and carrots, cook a bit, add garlic, cook a bit, add tomatoes, celery root, rutabaga, simmer about 15 minutes, add squash, simmer 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Add chipotle, allspice, oregano, cumin, beans and hominy. Reduce heat and cook for 2o minutes or until chili is well thickened. Garnish with cilantro.

The author recommends serving this in cooked acorn squash halves, a cute idea that I have never tried. Also, plan on freezing at least half as it is a big batch. Like any chili recipe, this tasted best cooked the day before and reheated.

I hope I don't get sued for copyright infringement. I have no idea what the rules are concerning this but seeing as only two people read this blog, if I get in trouble, I think I can figure out who ratted me out.

By the way, some shredded cheddar or jack cheese and a huge dollop of sour cream wouldn't hurt.