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Fuller on Food: Creativity in the kitchen
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 12:16 AM PST
Printable version
E-mail this articleColumn by Don Fuller
For The Daily News
Judy and I attended a great birthday party that Rosemary Powelson gave for her husband, Dale. Her menu included two kinds of chili and cornbread and, of course, cake and ice cream.
The party was a chance for us to visit with old friends we haven’t seen for some time and also to make new acquaintances. A small combo provided music that was suited for most of us of a certain age. Judy and I even managed to dance.
At the party I asked Rosemary for the vegetarian chili recipe. She cautioned that her version was based on an Internet recipe, but one that she often adapts based on what she has on hand and what sounds like good additions or substitutions on any given day.
Here’s a shortened version of the original recipe, deleting only unused options. I follow it with Rosemary’s comments about her final recipe.
Granny’s slow cooker vegetarian chili
This is a rich, satisfying meal that freezes well. Great on a cold winter day. Serve with tortilla, cornbread, French bread, or/and rice! Enjoy!
Serves 8.
1 (15 ounce) canned black beans in juice
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 (16 ounce) can vegetarian baked beans
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chopped tomato in puree or 1 large 29 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can diced chilies
1-2 jalapeno, chopped (depending on how much heat you want)
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon cilantro (optional)
In a saucepan, sauté the onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and celery for about 5 minutes.
In a slow cooker, combine black bean soup, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, baked beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, bell pepper, zucchini, jalapeno, chilies, and celery. Season with garlic, chili powder, cumin, parsley, oregano, basil (and cilantro if using).
Cook (in a slow cooker) for about 6 hours on low.
Serve with tortillas, cornbread, rice, or French bread. This freezes well!
—Adapted from a recipe of Sharon123 at http://www.recipezaar.com
Rosemary’s comments
Most reviewers of this recipe said cook in slow cooker for 6 hours to retain color and firmness of the beans and I did. I was faithful to the seasonings portion, but I might have shaken a bit of “Old Bay” in there just for fun. I use Penzy’s Chili Con Carne seasoning because it is a blend that has coriander, allspice, and cloves among other spices.
I used canned black beans, the kidney, garbanzo, and vegetarian baked beans. Because I doubled it I also used pinquitos with the sauce instead of (adding a) second kidney bean. I used both crushed tomatoes in thick puree and the petite cut ones in juice.
(Pinquito beans, translated as “little pink,” are also called Santa Maria beans and may be found in the Hispanic grocery stores, but I not broadly available.)
I omitted the zucchini because they get mushy with the length of cooking and the reheating. I forgot the celery. I used extra garlic, and no green pepper. Instead I used red, yellow and orange (double what was called for peppers, and I added some carrot, too. I wanted good color so I thought about the mixture of bean colors and the peppers.
I did add the diced green chilies, but not the jalapeno because I wanted to try chipolte in adobo sauce. I bought a can, opened it, sensed the heat, and gingerly took a fork and knife and cut a very small piece in tiny pieces and added it. I may have added another teaspoon of the sauce, too. I thought the heat spice was a little too spikey, too pointed, and I’d like more body to the kick. How would I get that?
It was not quite thick enough when I turned off the slow cooker, so I thickened it with a small amount of cornmeal slurry.
I added a couple of teaspoons of fire-roasted green chili powder I bought at a farmer’s market in Alamosa, Colo.
Good Luck. I’m sure there are lots of variations on a recipe like this.
Oh -- and a bag of frozen yellow corn. I don’t like the canned variety.
‘America by Food’
Last week I volunteered at the Cowlitz County Historical Museum and helped set up the Smithsonian Institution’s exhibit, “Key Ingredients: America by Food.” The museum also adds an exhibit about smelt as a once-important food source here on the Cowlitz River. I learned a lot in the process of setting up the exhibits. It did one thing for sure, and that was it made me hungry. I hope my readers will take advantage of these exhibits. A number of special programs are also scheduled. Contact the museum (577-3119) for more information.
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