Delicious Chili

So, technically, the recipe is in three parts: The vegetable stock, the chili paste, and then the complete chili. You can, and I recommend that you do, make the stock and chili paste ahead of time, unless you have quite a bit of time to do it all in one go.

FOR THE STOCK:

1 medium onion
1 bulb of fennel
1 parsnip, peeled
3 carrots
4 ribs of celery
1 leek
2 beets
1 head of cauliflower
Vegetable oil, as needed
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 head of garlic, halved
2 dried bay leaves
1 Tbsp whole black peppercorns
1 handful of dried mushrooms (porcini or shiitake work well)
2 sheets of dried kombu

1.  Thinly slice all vegetables (using a mandoline, if you have one). Put all of the vegetable slices in a large bowl and drizzle with vegetable oil. Stir to make sure every piece is evenly coated with oil.

2.     Preheat your oven to 375ºF. Spread vegetable slices out evenly onto 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Roast for anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the oven and toss every 15 minutes so that nothing burns.

3.     Add the roasted vegetables to a large dutch oven or stockpot. Add thyme, garlic, parsley, bay leaves, and peppercorns.

4.     Cover with cold water and bring to a simmer. Also add umami boosters now, like dried porcini mushrooms and kombu.

5.     Let simmer for 45 minutes-1 hour, and then strain.

FOR THE CHILI PASTE:

2 pasilla chiles
4 arbol chiles
4 chipotle chiles
3 guajillo chiles
3 ancho chiles
Some water
2 dried mushrooms (again, porcini or shiitake work well)

1.     Remove the stems and seeds from all dried chiles. Tear each chile into small pieces.

2.     Dry roast the chiles by placing them in a large stainless steel skillet with no oil. Toast over medium heat just until they are fragrant but not smoking. (Be VERY careful to not have the heat too high, or leave them on the heat too long, or you WILL mace yourself.)

3.     Lower the heat and rehydrate the chiles by covering them with water – just enough water to cover them.

4.     Bring to a simmer and cover. Then turn off the heat and let steep for 10 minutes.

5.  Add the chiles and their soaking liquid to a high-powered blender. Also add a few dried porcini mushrooms. Blend on high speed for about one minute, until nice and smooth.

FOR THE CHILI:

3 poblano peppers
3 jalapeno peppers
2 large onions, roughly chopped
Olive oil
6-7 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2-3 Tbsp tomato paste
3 tsp cumin
3 tsp Ground coriander
3 tsp Dried oregano
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 can of whatever other beans you like
2 14oz cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 tsp liquid aminos
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
3 cups Vegetable stock (the above recipe should make that much)
1-1 1/2 cups chili paste (again, the above recipe should make that much)

You can skip steps 1-3 and just dice the poblanos like the jalapenos, if you want.

1.  Fire roast your poblanos by placing them directly over a flame. The goal is to completely char the skin of the peppers, so keep turning them until every side is sufficiently blackened.

2.  Remove peppers from the heat and wrap in aluminum foil. Let them sit for at least 10 minutes.

3. Remove the charred skin from the steamed poblano peppers using paper towels. Then, chop the peppers into bite-sized pieces.

4.  Prepare the jalapenos by cutting them in half and removing the seeds and ribs. Then finely dice them.

5.  Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add roughly chopped onions and cook until softened.

6.  Add crushed garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute.

7.  Next, add chopped jalapeno and poblano peppers along with 2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste. Stir to combine for a few minutes.

8.  Add the spices: cumin, ground coriander, and dried oregano.

9.  Next, add all of the beans and diced tomatoes.

10.  Add 3 cups of homemade vegetable stock, or enough to make the chili a little waterier than you’d like it to be.

11.  Add 1-1 ½ cups of homemade chili paste. Stir to combine. Let simmer for 45-60 minutes.

12.  Add the final umami boosters: liquid aminos and nutritional yeast. Stir to combine.

13.  Serve with your favorite garnishes like sour cream and sliced jalapenos.