Whether chili has meat or not, my expectations are the same: spicy complexity, hearty constitution, and a strong, savory backbone. Without meat, I use other umami flavor builders, including dried mushrooms, soy sauce, and tomato paste.
Go crazy with the garnishes — lime wedges, tortillas (whole or chips), grated cheese, sliced radishes, chopped red or white onion, diced avocado, minced fresh or pickled jalapenos, and sour cream. They’re tried and true. Add a crisp slaw with peanuts and a sweet-tart molasses dressing and biscuits made with masa harina (the corn flour used for tortillas) for a terrific winter meal to be enjoyed by all — even the most diehard carnivore.
Meat-Free Bean Chili
Makes about 3 quarts
Don’t drain or rinse the beans — the packing liquid helps build body.
¼ ounce dried shiitake mushrooms (about 4 medium)
¼ cup neutral oil
TIP: When a recipe includes both a fat and a sticky ingredient, such as the oil and molasses in the slaw dressing, measure the fat first. The residual slick in the measuring container will help the sticky ingredient slide right out.
Jim Scherer
3 large onions, chopped
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 8 medium cloves)
¼ cup pure ancho chili powder
1 tablespoon regular chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons finely chopped chipotle chili in adobo sauce, plus 2 teaspoonssauce from the can
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1½ cups (1 bottle) lager beer
1 large can (28 ounces) petite-diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
½ cup medium-grain bulgur, rinsed and drained
1 large can (1 pound 13 ounces) pinto beans
1 large can (1 pound 13 ounces) cannellini, white kidney, or navy beans
1½ tablespoons cider vinegar
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Lime wedges and other garnishes (see intro), as desired, for serving
In a medium bowl, cover the shiitakes with about ¾ cup boiling water and soak fully submerged until softened, about 30 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, scoop them from the water. After squeezing them to expel extra liquid, chop very finely and set aside. Keep the soaking liquid separate.
In a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onions and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring, until very soft, about 8 minutes. Adjust the heat to medium, add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 40 seconds. Add both types of chili powder, cumin, oregano, and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until dark and fragrant, about 1 minute longer. Add the chopped chipotle, the extra adobo sauce, tomato paste, soy sauce, and chopped mushrooms, and cook, stirring, until well combined and fragrant, about 1 minute longer.
Add the beer, reserved mushroom-soaking liquid (take care to leave any sediment behind), and 2 cups water, adjust the heat to medium-high, and scrape the bottom of pot to dissolve any remaining fond. Add the tomatoes (with their packing liquid) and brown sugar and bring to a strong simmer, stirring occasionally. Adjust heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Add the bulgur and both types of beans (with their packing liquid), stir to combine, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the bulgur is tender and the mixture is fragrant, about 40 minutes longer (if necessary, add extra water, about ½ cup at a time, to achieve a stew-like consistency). Add the vinegar and stir to combine.
Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, or vinegar if necessary. Add the cilantro, stir to mix, and serve hot, with lime wedges and other garnishes as desired.
Molasses-Peanut Slaw
Makes about 9 cups
The recipes for this slaw and the biscuits are inspired by Texas Home Cooking by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison.
1½ pounds green cabbage (about half a medium head), finely shredded (about 12 cups)
Salt and pepper
½ small red onion, quartered lengthwise and very thinly sliced (about 2/3 cup)
3 large carrots, scraped and coarsely grated
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons juice plus 1 teaspoon zest from 1 lime
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 2 small cloves)
¼ cup olive or neutral oil
½ cup roasted, lightly salted peanuts, roughly chopped
In a colander over a medium bowl, toss the cabbage with 1 tablespoon salt. Allow cabbage to stand until it wilts slightly, at least 1 and up to 4 hours. Rinse the cabbage well under very cold running water; drain well and dry with paper towels, transfer it to a large bowl and fluff it up with your fingers (you will have about 8 cups; can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days).
In a small bowl, cover the onion with cold water and set aside to soak for at least 15 minutes. Drain the onion and dry it with paper towels. Add the onion, carrots, and cilantro to the cabbage and toss to combine.
In a medium nonreactive bowl, whisk the lime juice and zest, molasses, garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Vigorously whisk in the oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.
Add the dressing and most of the peanuts to the cabbage mixture and toss to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary, sprinkle with the remaining peanuts, and serve.
Masa Biscuits
Makes 10 to 12 biscuits
Take care not to overprocess or overknead the dough.
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for patting out dough and cutting biscuits
1 cup masa harina
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
Pinch cayenne pepper
Salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into roughly ½-inch cubes
¾ cup cold buttermilk
With the rack in the middle position, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet (roughly 18 by 13 inches) with parchment paper or silicone liner and set aside.
In a food processor, combine the all-purpose flour, masa harina, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, cayenne, and 1¼ teaspoons salt until well blended. Scatter the butter pieces evenly over the flour mixture in the food processor and pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 6 2-second pulses. Add the buttermilk and pulse until dough is just beginning to come together into a single, scrappy-looking mass, about 10 2-second pulses.
Generously flour work surface, turn out the dough, and sprinkle with a little more flour. Knead the dough gently, folding it in half and rotating it 3 or 4 times, just until it is uniform and cohesive. Sprinkle a little bit more flour on the work surface and dough to prevent sticking, if necessary, and gently roll the dough into a circle that is roughly 1 inch high.
With a 2½-inch biscuit cutter, punch biscuits out of dough. Transfer the rounds to the baking sheet, positioning them about 1 inch apart. Push the leftover dough scraps together, knead them gently once or twice until cohesive, and repeat.
Bake for 5 minutes. Adjust the oven heat to 400 degrees and continue baking until the biscuits are puffed, light golden on top, and deep brown on the bottom, about 10 minutes longer, rotating the sheet halfway through baking time. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack, cool briefly, and serve warm.
Adam Ried appears regularly on “America’s Test Kitchen.” Send comments to cooking @globe.com.
