Sweat-Like-A-Champ Chili

Well, my lovelies, it's October. LATE October. It's practically Halloween, and the pumpkins, squashes, and Oktoberfest beers have taken over the grocery stores. Stores are featuring patterned tights and boots. My favorite recipe blogs have featured half a dozen different soup recipes in the past few weeks.

There's just one problem.

IT'S 85 DEGREES OUTSIDE.

Apparently someone forgot to tell the big guy upstairs that we should be somewhere in the 50s or 60s by now, enjoying our mulled cider and roasted vegetables, while we pull out our winter clothes from storage and realize just how shabby we looked last year and just how badly we need to go clothes shopping.

I'm in denial. It's FALL, damnit. I'm still riding the high of that first chilly snap, and someone at work had the unfortunate lapse in judgement to put me in charge of scheduling this year's annual chili cookoff.

So, the cookoff is tomorrow, and I'm in the kitchen today, whipping up a batch of the best cold-weather food under the sun.

So, without further ado, here is my favorite veggie chili recipe, which I am now devouring with much gusto, along with a bottle of Rahr & Sons Oktoberfest, in spite of the fact that it's making me sweat through this lovely mid-September afternoon.

VEGGIE CHILI

1 cup wild rice mix (I used a blend of wild and brown basmati)
Olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, chopped
5-8 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 small can of Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, also chopped
1 T chili powder
1 1/2 T cumin
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can unsweetened corn kernels
Water or broth (1-2 cups)

Cook the rice according to package directions.

Heat up a big ass pot, add some oil, and throw in the garlic, jalapeño, and onion. Now let these cook for a few minutes - do yourself a favor and don't rush this step. You'll end up with crunchy onions, and a lot of people hate crunchy onions in chili.

Once your onions are soft and translucent, add the chipotles and adobo sauce. Stir around for a few minutes. Now add the chili powder and cumin and stir it around. It will seize up a bit, which is fine - now your add your crushed tomatoes.

At this point you have an insanely delicious Mexican tomato sauce which you could use for enchiladas, over tamales, to bake or simmer stuff in... The possibilities are endless. We, however, are making chili. So let that reduce a bit while you crack open your beans and corn. Rinse the contents of the cans in a colander to get all the gunky stuff off, and then recycle said cans, because cool people recycle. Add all the beans and corn to the sauce. Let it all simmer and get acquainted and fall in love.

At some point, the wild rice will be finished - add most or all of it to the chili. In the interest of full disclosure, I didn't use all of mine this time. Add it until it looks right. Also, your chili will be really freaky thick at this point. Grab that water or broth, and add it in 1/2 cup increments until you get the consistency you want.

Let it simmer for a while until you can't stand it any more, and then eat a big ol' bowl with various toppings. Sour cream, cheese, avocado, olives, jalapeños, onions, Fritos, green onions, and cilantro all work well. Cold beer is also a recommended companion.

NOTE: This recipe is crazy adaptable. Meg, you can use sweet potatoes instead of corn - just cook them for a while in the tomato sauce before adding the beans. Add more peppers, or different kinds. Use fresh corn. Add a giant handful of spinach at the end. Use fake or real beef, browned and drained before getting started, instead of the wild rice. Use different kinds of beans. Use different spices. Do whatever you want. You're an adult. I promise I won't tell.

Mushroom Risotto and Underachieving

My prior experiences in blogging have generally involved an ambitious idea followed by a horrifying lack of follow-through. So, this time I'm going to keep it ultra informal. Like, brain-splat, everyone should know this, but I don't want to bother being clever-kind of thing.

So, #1 on the list of things everyone should know: On Sunday, I made this!


It was DELICIOUS. You should make it. You totally should.

Mushroom Goat Cheese Risotto
Makes about 4 servings
(Based on this recipe)

DISCLAIMER: Basically I just threw a bunch of shit into a pot. Many quantities, including the rice, broth, and mushrooms, are approximate. So if this ends up being really screwed up, feel free to blame me.

10-13 oz. Baby Portobello Mushrooms, thinly sliced
5 oz. Shitake Mushrooms, thinly sliced
Olive Oil
1 Poblano Pepper, chopped (Optional. I used this, but the taste kind of disappeared. Not sure how much it added)
1/3 Red Onion, chopped
1 1/4 Cups Arborio Rice
2/3 Cups Dry White Wine (Although my wine wasn't very dry and it was still delicious. So, basically, use whatever you want.)
 4 1/2+ Cups Veggie broth (boxed, reconstituted bouillon, cubes, whatever)
1/2 Cup Goat Cheese, crumbled

First, put the tiny measuring cup of rice next to the giant Mount Everest of sliced mushrooms and laugh like crazy.

Now put the broth into a small saucepan over low heat, and set a ladle next to it. You don't need it now, but you will soon.

Next, heat a rather large pan over medium-high heat, and throw a nice glug or two of olive oil in there. Toss the mushroom mountain into the pan and saute it for a while until the 'shrooms are dark and soft, rendering up their liquid, and your kitchen smells like heaven itself. Set the mushrooms and their liquid aside, trying hard not to eat them all with a fork.

Put the large pan back on the heat, add another glug or two of olive oil, and throw in the onions and poblano. Saute them around a few minutes until the onion turns translucent.

Add the rice to the pan, and saute around until the grains are coated with oil and look slightly translucent.

Now we get to the heart of risotto process. Prepare yourself, disciple, because you will be standing in front of the stove and stirring continuously for at least the next half hour.

Add the white wine to the rice, and stir continuously until it is absorbed.

Add a ladle of broth to the rice, and stir continuously until it is absorbed.

Add a ladle of broth to the rice, and stir continuously until it is absorbed.

Add a ladle of broth to the rice, and stir continuously until it is absorbed.


Repeat many times.

Be ever so patient. It will seem like your rice can't possibly take any more broth. It will seem like this is the ladle that is too much, and now your precious risotto has now turned into rice soup. But I tell you that it CAN take another ladle. It WILL be absorbed. When in doubt, keep stirring, and stir some more.

After you get down to your last ladle or two of liquid, you can do a taste test on your rice. Bite into a grain to see how done it is. It should be al dente - each grain should still be distinct and offer a little resistance when you bite, but they should not be crunchy.

Once the rice is done, turn the heat down to low and add the mushrooms and goat cheese and stir to combine.

Taste.

Swoon.

Serve immediately with the rest of that bottle of wine.