January Irish Foodies Cookalong – Chilli to Warm the Cockles of your Heart

I don’t know about you but in January after the excesses of the month that is Christmas my body craves clean food. And by clean food I mean lots of vegetables, proteins, spices and no meat. At least in years gone by I would crave anything but meat, but as this was my first vegetarian Christmas, this wasn’t really an issue. But after the excess everywhere else, I was still craving nice simple, tasty and healthy food. This chilli will raise your temperature enough to make you feel like you are working out, but is also super healthy, super tasty and super moreish.

As well as doing the dog on the volume of food I ingested over Christmas, I must confess that my bank balance took a bit of a hammering too. So much so, that my laser card is in witness protection. This chilli is great for anyone trying to stick to a tight budget.(check) As well as being cheap to make, it lasts for a few days, feeds a crowd of 8 (tested out over New Year) and freezes well in handy portion sized packs for a healthy and tasty lunch. And it can be made without any major planning as it is full of larder staples.

Now as I mentioned, everything that is in this Chilli is in either your fridge or your larder (there may be a couple of things you need to get but they should only be a euro or two) The only ingredient you may have trouble finding in the supermarket is Bulgar Wheat. You will find it in your local health food store and as you only use a half cup of it in each batch, it lasts for a long while and the cost per chilli is just a couple of cent.

You will need ;

1 medium onion chopped, 3 medium carrots chopped, 4 or 5 cloves of garlic chopped (I use 5), 1 yellow pepper chopped and deseeded, 2 jalapenos diced*, 2 celery stalks chopped, 2 tbsp chilli powder, 2 cans chopped tomatoes, 1 can black beans & 1 can kidney beans both un drained, one small can of sweet corn,  1 tsp ground cumin, 1&1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1&1/2 tsp dried basil, 2tsp salt**, 1/2 cup bulgar wheat, 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar

* I never remember to buy fresh jalapenos in the store but always have a jar of them in the fridge. We could run out of milk, bread, cereal and cheese but we would always have a jar of jalapenos. I have been known to eat them from the jar. I find that I usually eyeball the measurements on this so what ever you are happy with is good, but when chopped they measure about 2 tablespoons.

** I am not fond of salt at all so I don’t put it in. I will taste it towards the end of cooking and decide then whether it needs anything.

Right, this will take about an hour to make but the prep of the vegetables is the most time consuming. I must confess that the picture above is very much an abnormality in my kitchen. I chop the vegetables on the same chopping board as the order they go into the pan. And the bulgar wheat and balsamic are measured in at the end, not in pretty bowls as above!

Once all your vegetables are ready, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy based pan to a medium high heat. Add the onions, carrots and garlic and sauté until transparent.Then, add the yellow pepper, jalapenos, celery and chilli powder and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring all the ingredients together. Then add the tomatoes, beans with their liquid, corn, spices and salt and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, cover and turn the heat right down and allow to cook for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Then stir in the bulgar wheat and cover again. Allow to simmer for about 30 minutes but beware as this sticks really easily. I usually set the timer at 5 minute intervals and stir it each time the beeper goes. Otherwise you will have a chilli that tastes like burnt pan bottom.

Just as you are taking the chilli off the heat, stir in the balsamic vinegar.

You can eat this straight away or, do what I do and leave it for a day and reheat it. The difference in flavour is amazing!

Serve with grated cheese, natural yoghurt and something to dip and scoop up the sauce. I have a nifty recipe for Naan Bread which is perfect for dipping and scooping this chilli. And not just out of the bowl it is served in… if you know what I mean.

I hope that you enjoy this chilli as much as I do – and if you are suspicious of foods that are vegetarian, I dare you to try this! I have served it to a number of non veggie friends who have all said that if I told them before they ate it that there was no meat they wouldn’t have eaten it. High praise indeed.

Enjoy making, and eating.

I am now off to try to see if I can locate my laser card and reassure it that regular exercise is good for you!

Orls xx