All-Year Chili

The recipe I can’t stop riffing on (plus my favorite version)

I realize it might seem odd to be writing about chili in May, but even as the weather warms, I still find myself attached to my Dutch oven and the stews I can build in it. Now that I’m a working mom I get why so many cookbooks and recipes are marketed as “One-Pot.” The appeal is obvious, but I had never thought of myself as a home cook that it would appeal to—having thought of myself as not needing things to be “easy.” I have a new appreciation for such designations now. It’s not about ease, but about survival. That sounds dramatic, but it’s true. Unexpectedly, it took awhile for the accumulated depletion of time, energy, fortitude—motivation—to hit. The first couple of months that my small business was open, I was running on adrenaline and my old rhythm for cooking and knowing what to cook and what to always shop for to cook such things was intact. Hitting a wall was a shock, but burn out was inevitable. Now I truly don’t know what to make but soups and stews and pastas.

I’ve returned to the habit of keeping a running list of meals I love—and more importantly: love cooking—as a reminder when I’m at the grocery store without a list prepared, or stumped at home after an exhausting day of solo childcare. More on this in a future letter, but it helps, and I love that the lists themselves will exist as artifacts of this time, that I can return to and see what I was cooking “back then.”

A current staple—always on the list, it seems—is some version of Molly Baz’s Spiced Chili (paywall alert—but there is a video that you could definitely cook from). As much as I loved this stew the first time, when I followed the recipe closely, I can’t say the flavor profile of the original recipe—ginger, cumin, coriander, and mint—quite hit for me, as much as I appreciate the novel use of dried mint. It’s delicious, but I’m not sold on the idea that this application of mint yields the most delicious version. Furthermore, some of the ingredients are bit fussy, and a prominent part of the flavor base is ginger, an ingredient that I don’t always have on hand, so I found myself deviating from the recipe the second time I made it, and I’m happy to report that improvisation of flavor suits this chili. The ingredients—ground meat, canned beans, greens, and canned tomato—can be adapted to literally any flavor profile. I might try a Korean version next—perhaps a Doenjang Chili?

My current favorite version swaps mint for Herbes de Provence, the harissa paste for tomato paste, ditches the ginger, and omits the final step of creating the mint oil, which has always been a dud each time I’ve tried it. It tastes like I’ve drizzled an oily mint tea all over my stew. Plus this involves dirtying another pan, so instead I finish it with a drizzle of my best olive oil, or maybe some chili oil or chili crisp if I have it.

As Molly says in her video, this isn’t a traditional chili. Texas or otherwise. There are beans—any kind—and meat, rather than one or the other. The greens can either be fresh or frozen. I’m really enjoying getting into frozen vegetables, but I have a preference for fresh lacinato kale here. You can probably use chopped up whole peeled tomatoes, but I really like the canned cherry tomatoes she calls for. I was not aware that you could buy cherry tomatoes canned, but since becoming aware, have never had trouble finding it and therefore am not pegging them as a specialty item. My versions progressively took on a more Italian energy, and I don’t mind.

I call this All-Year Chili because the greens and cherry tomatoes give it a distinctly summer feel, but it’s an excellent pantry recipe for the dead of winter too. Also, this chili is delicious at room temperature so I highly recommend it for summer gatherings if making something ahead is your bag. It truly is the perfect make-ahead meal, and having it on hand for the week or for when we’re hosting people, instantly has me more relaxed. I still don’t own a One-Pot cookbook, but I proudly call myself a one-pot girlie.

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Some quick housekeeping notes!! I know I said my next newsletter would be my March-April Cooking Notes, but as I find myself perpetually behind, and I’m too overwhelmed to compile it these days. It’s not going away, but I’m rethinking it moving forward. I’ve also decided to begin writing a periodic (ie: irregular) Recommendations post in lieu of inserting them into the bottom of each email. Stay tuned for that as well. Thank you thank you for reading, and for supporting me. The work of this newsletter is a balm when my anxiety over my small business feels too much to bear.

xo AV

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All-Year Chili (my version of Molly Baz’s Spiced Halloween Chili)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 lb ground meat (pork, beef, or turkey)

1 large onion (red or yellow), finely chopped

5-8 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tbsp Herbes de Provence or Oregano

1/4 c tomato paste

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3 15 oz cans of beans, drained and rinsed (chickpea, cannellini, pinto, red kidney, black-eyed peas, etc)

1 15 oz can of cherry tomatoes and liquid

1 bunch of fresh lacinato kale, sliced (or frozen spinach or kale, defrosted)

4 cups of broth

1. Season your ground meat and heat the olive oil in a standard Dutch oven over medium heat. Add your meat to brown. I love Molly’s method of forming the meat into a few large balls, adding them to the pot, browning them on each side. It’s an easy and fast way to avoid steaming the meat. Once deeply browned all over, remove the meat to a bowl or plate.

2. Add the chopped onions to the pot, along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until translucent and releasing its liquid. Add the garlic, tossing to combine. Continue to saute until golden, then add the herbs and tomato paste. Allow it to cook until the tomato paste is sticking to the bottom of the pan (a few minutes), then deglaze with the apple cider vinegar. Use your wooden spoon to scrape everything up from the bottom of the pot.

3. Add the meat back to the pot and mash it up into bite sized pieces, combining it with the flavor base you’ve created.

4. Add the canned beans, canned cherry tomatoes with their liquid, and the greens—season with salt, and toss everything to combine. Pour your stock over everything, along with a bay leaf, stir and bring to a gentle boil.

5. Lower the heat to a simmer, and cover with the lid ajar. Allow to simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring every now and again and making sure it’s not boiling or simmering too fast. Taste for seasoning.

6. Serve in bowls, with a drizzle of olive oil (or chili oil or chili crisp) and a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt.