Vegetarian Chili

Zutaten

1 ounce dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 1-inch pieces

½ ounce dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 1-inch pieces

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes

1–3 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2¼ teaspoons table salt, divided

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 poblano chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped

3 tablespoons tomato paste

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed

1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed

¾ cup pearl barley

½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and chopped fine

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Anweisungen

1. Place anchos and guajillos in Dutch oven and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant and darkened slightly but not smoking, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately transfer anchos and guajillos to bowl and cover with hot water. Let sit until chiles are soft and pliable, about 5 minutes.

2. Drain anchos and guajillos and combine with tomatoes and their juice, 1 cup water, chipotle(s), soy sauce, and 1½ teaspoons salt in blender. Process until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes; set aside.

3. Heat oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, poblano, and remaining ¾ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook until tomato paste darkens, 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Stir in pinto, black, and kidney beans; barley; mushrooms; chile puree; and 2½ cups water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until barley is tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Let sit off heat for 10 minutes (chili will continue to thicken as it sits). Season with salt to taste. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Notizen

One ounce of ancho chiles is two to three chiles; ½ ounce of guajillo chiles is three to four chiles. Use more or fewer chipotle chiles depending on your desired level of spiciness. We like using a mix of beans, but you can use all of one type or any combination of the three. Do not substitute hulled, hull-less, quick-cooking, or presteamed barley (read the ingredient list on the package to determine this). Serve the chili with lime wedges, sour cream, diced avocado, chopped red onion, and shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS A meatless chili worthy of a cook-off crown is possible by using umami-packed porcini mushrooms, soy sauce, and tomato paste to build satisfying, savory flavor. For complex heat, smokiness, and sweetness, we used four different types of chiles: poblano, ancho, guajillo, and canned chipotles in adobo. In place of meat, we turned to a colorful medley of kidney, pinto, and black beans. Pearl barley provided a pleasant, chewy bite.