Been awhile since my latest cooking posts? Yep, pretty busy, holidays, and all. Also a lot of my dishes are in an experimental state, and I haven’t had the mojo to tweak my curry after the latest milestone. However one recipe just got out of “experimental” to “done” – vegetarian Cincinnati Chilli!
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 finely chopped red onion
- 1 Tbsp crushed garlic
- 1 1/2 cups red wine
- 1 1/2 cups tomato puree
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 + 1/8 tsp cinnamon (trust me, the exact amount matters)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp allspice
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp red pepper
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 14 oz can pinto beans, drained, or about 3 cups of cooked beans.
- 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- Sautee onion in olive oil until soft.
- Add garlic to onion, brown both.
- Add all ingredients but pinto beans and vinegar
- Bring to boil, then let simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add beans and vinegar. Cook another 10 minutes until heated thoroughly.
- Remove bay leaf.
- Serve.
The result is great. A rich, sweet, spicy, satisfying chilli that’s got that whole Cincinnati Chili feel without meat. Only caveat – not sure 10 minutes is long enough to cook the beans and vinegar in. You may want to try 15, or try a different bean as this time the pintos came out just a bit “beany” in taste.
Still, going to call this a success. It’s delicious. I may have to try it with other protein sources!
I fount it went well with polenta or carrots as a side dish.
Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach. He blogs on careers at http://www.musehack.com/, publishes books on career and culture at http://www.informotron.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.