An Angry Vegan Dish: Spicy Garlic Lentil Stew

shlomi on January 27, 2010

Backstory

I’ve been rejoicing in making soups, stews, breads and all manner of comfort cooking. I hadn’t done lentils in eons, and, as usual for my recipes, I start with what I have too much of, or what’s going bad. I’m also trying to push my safe zone for spices. So this is something different. As usual, I don’t add salt unless necessary. Feel free to poison yourself when serving it up.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. dried lentils (yellow or green), washed and picked over for stones
  • 30-40 cloves of garlic, peeled but whole
  • 15 thin-skinned potatoes (not cranky ones, though). Red, gold and butter are all good, washed well and trimmed of ooky stuff
  • 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 1/2C olive oil
  • 15-20 dried red chilis, with seeds
  • 2T cumin
  • 1t tumeric (it’s a healthy spice and I like food that stains things permanently)
  • 1T black pepper
  • 1T paprika
  • 4 quarts water
  • Tart yogurt and basmati rice (optional)

Preparation

  1. Clearly, you’ll need an 8-quart pot to make this, one with a thick bottom. Otherwise the odds of burning are high.
  2. Prepare the food as listed in ingredients. Have the spices ready to go.
  3. Heat the olive oil on the bottom of the pot. When it’s at the smoke point, toss in the onions and whole garlic cloves. Still quickly to make sure the oil covers the veggies. Add the spices (not the chili peppers) and vigorously mix. Close lid and wait a minute, then add 2C water and stir, then close the lid again.
  4. Wait until most of the water’s been boiled off, then add the dried lentils. Still them until everything is well mixed. Keep stirring until you hear the crackling sound of lentils getting very hot (no, you won’t invent lentil popcorn, sorry!).
  5. Add the rest of the water and bring to a boil.
  6. Add the dried chli peppers (no need to presoak) and cover.
  7. After five minutes at a rolling boil, reduce flame to a simmer.
  8. Stir every 5-10 minutes while it simmers for 40 minutes.

Remove the peppers from the pot and reserve. Serving suggestion: Add 1/2C basmati rice and 1/4C tart yogurt. Place one of the cooked chili peppers across the yogurt.

Serves: 24 cups

Timing

Prep time: 10 minutes   Elapsed time: 60 minutes

Hummus, My Comfort Food

shlomi on January 2, 2010

Backstory

2020 update: Changed the recipe a tad since the 2010 original release .

Hummus has been around for ages. Every Middle Eastern country has their own version. I distinctly remember sharing a dish of it with an NPR reporter, washed down with Orangeboom beer at the pub in Hotel Beirut in Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt while on my way to join my unit during the Iraq War in 1991. It had the tangy taste of lemon juice, as opposed to the cumin fragrance of the Lebanese versions I’d become used to in Northern Israel.

Where the zahtar goes, whether to use paprika or chili pepper, pine nuts or plain, a pool of prepared t’chi’na in the center… these are all good questions. And, of course, the deep philosophical schism of whether to prepare the t’chi’na separately, or add the raw or toasted sesame seed paste directly to the chickpea mixture. Garlic? Usually. Cumin? Always. Olive oil advocates are split on “virgin” and “dirty” versions.

In all its variations, this is a dish with immense popularity for tens of millions of people worldwide. It’s a healthy, vegan food that’s easy to make (particularly if one uses canned chickpeas), and very fast if one is armed with a food processor. It’s got great staying power: it’ll stay in the fridge for over ten days. Chickpeas are high in fiber, low in simple carbs.

I’m giving you my version. It’s based on using the tchina recipe I’ve already got on the blog.

A note on the olive oil: while in America everyone seems impressed with clear, “virgin” olive oil (I think it’s a symptom of sexual repression), what’s needed for this recipe is the dregs and taste of the olives themselves. In Israel it’s possible to buy olive oil that’s not clear, that’s filled with the crumbs and dregs of the pressing. When I say “olive oil” I’m referring to that kind of oil, not the flavorless, insipid oil for which we seem to want to pay top dollar. I guess you could use olive juice, but that’d be a weak thing compared to the real thing. So find some local olive oil purveyor to give you what’s best for this recipe.

Hummus goes well with pita, tortilla chips, vegetable platters, as a french fry dip, mixed with rice, as a topping for hamburgers, or just on its own. Fiddle with the recipe to make it your own; dried chili pepper flakes, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, heck, even dried raisins or cranberries can work.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. chickpeas or 3 cans chickpeas
  • 1/2 serving of t’chi’na — see recipe
  • 2T cumin
  • 1/3-1/2C olive oil
  • plus more for plating (dirty oil!)
  • 2T lemon juice
  • Zaht’r (whole foods and a few other places have it)
  • Paprika
  • 6 oz. pine nuts
  • Salt to taste
  • 1-2 serrano peppers (optional)

Preparation

  1. Take the chickpeas and prepare them: either soak overnight with a tablespoon of baking soda, changing the water twice, or wash well, bring to a boil in 2x the water for the chickpeas, then turn off and keep the lid on for an hour. If you’re using cans, pour them into a strainer and wash well and drain. This should wash most of the salt in the liquid away.
  2. Boil up the chickpeas in a 5qt. pot with fresh water: 2x water to chickpeas. Bring to a boil, then cook for 45 minutes at a slow boil, covered. [2017 Update: I love my pressure cooker. Use that. Faster!]
  3. Drain the peas and let them cool to room temperature. Don’t refrigerate; take your time.
  4. Make the tchina using my recipe.
  5.  Reserve half the t’chi’na in a cup, keeping the other half in the food processor.
  6. Toss in 90% of the chickpeas, reserve the rest and hit high “hi” on the food processor.
  7. If you’re adding the peppers, seed or deseed as you will — since these are raw seeds will have quite the kick. Mince the peppers.
  8. Add the cumin, lemon juice, and oil while things are whirring.
  9. Watch the consistency. Adding lemon juice will give it froth, adding oil will add creaminess. Too much lemon juice will make it tart (a weird thing for hummus, I’m told, but it’s all a matter of taste, and I like it that way sometimes.
  10. Decant the hummus into a large, shallow bowl. Failing that, into a glass casserole or serving dish. Spread evenly with a spatula, leaving a depression in the center.
  11. Pour the reserved t’chi’na into the depression.
  12. Spread the reserved chickpeas around the edges of the dish. If there are extra, make it pretty in the middle. Try not to stuff any up your nose; it’s as hard as marbles to get ’em out.
  13. Refrigerate until it’s entirely cool. (I’ll eat it warm or hot, but apparently proper etiquette is to chill it.
  14. To serve, drizzle olive oil, letting it puddle around the t’chi’na. Then sprinkle liberally with paprika and zaht’r. Sprinkle the pine nuts over everything.

Serves: 10-12

Timing

Prep time: 10 minutes. Elapsed time: 50 minutes including cooking chickpeas.

T’chi’na (NOT “Tahini”)

shlomi on December 30, 2009

Backstory

2020 Update: I revisited this recipe from 2009, and tweaked it for eleven years worth of refinement).

Americans like things simple. Cheese Whiz, American Cheese, Pop Tarts. Today I saw a sealable bag with marinade in it, sold as an “incredible way to marinate meat.” It’s easier I guess to pull something off a shelf than think long enough to add marinade, water and food and seal ’em together.

T’chi’na — a sauce or dip with sesame paste as a base — is a key component of several dishes, including  hummus and baba ghanoush from the Middle East and sesame noodles from Asia. It’s fattening, but it’s good fat. It makes a great protein base for a vegan meal and goes well with a lot of things. Like rice: it’s a great ‘fill me upper.’

Yes, it can be used as a drizzled dressing on salads or in a good felafel at a central bus station in Israel. But I like it sharp, with a Texas flair, and thick and creamy. Fills all the hungry spaces in your belly, as good as a burger, without (most of) the guilt.

I make it in large batches. The longer it sits in the fridge (2 weeks is fine) the stronger the flavors get.

While purists might whine, in this particular case powdered garlic is a better flavor dispersant than dicing, mincing, or crushing garlic. Roll with it. Trust me. I also haven’t found a taste difference between bottled lemon juice and fresh for the purposes of this recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. sesame paste (I prefer toasted, but raw is just fine)
  • 2/3C – 1C lemon juice
  • 1T sesame seeds (again, toasted or raw work equally well)
  • 1T garlic powder
  • 1T Tabasco sauce
  • optional: 2t chili flakes
  • 1.5t salt
  • Water

Preparation

  1. Take all the ingredients & put them in a food processor with a blade attachment in place. By hand: bowl and whisk (that’s what I use)
  2. Spin it up/mix. Add water until it’s got a creamy consistency: at least a minute after you’ve got the color from murky brown to a light tan
  3. If the color’s too dark, at more lemon juice

Serves:

Depends. It’s an ingredient for other dishes. It can be eaten as a dip with tortilla chips (hey, this is Texas!) or pita, fresh or baked. Otherwise, use in some of my recipes.

Timing

Prep time: 2 minutes. Elapsed time: 5 minutes.

Kickass Pea Soup

shlomi on December 30, 2009

Backstory

There’s a place in town that makes a great pea soup. Okay, I know, it’s just pea soup… but there’s an incredible warmth, body and texture to that soup. (It’s also fun that it coagulates when it cools, and forms fleleh too.) My mom made a great one with oxtails for flavoring. Not having oxtails and being on a tight budget, I felt like improvising.

I don’t know what drives folks to make arcane recipes when simple works. I’ve found recipes for split peas with the following ingredients:

  • Evaporated milk
  • Spaghetti
  • Instant minced onion
  • Croutons
  • Celery sticks
  • Green food coloring
  • Chicken bouillon cubes
  • Instant bouillon granules

Oy…

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. dried split peas
  • 1-1/2 lbs. carrots
  • Dealer’s choice: 1 lb. bacon or  1/4C olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 1 bulb garlic
  • Take your pick: 8C of water or 4C water and 1qt. low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1T black pepper
  • 2T paprika
  • 4 bay leaves

Preparation

  1. Check the peas carefully for stones and  then wash the peas thoroughly (dirt is nice, but it doesn’t belong in soup)
  2. Chop the onion
  3. Crush the garlic cloves & mince
  4. If you’re using bacon, toss it into a 5qt. pot with the onions. If you’re going veggie, heat the olive oil to the smoke point, then toss in the onions
  5. Stir until onions are coated in grease/oil, then lid for 5 minutes, stirring to keep things from burning
  6. Add 6 cups water, the peas, the carrots and the bay leaves
  7. Bring to a roiling boil for five minutes
  8. Add the pepper & paprika
  9. Keep at boil, stirring every 3-5 minutes so nothing burns on the bottom for 30 minutes
  10. Bring it down to a simmer. Stir every 10 minutes, for another 40-50 minutes

Because of the specific gravity of the peas, it’ll look like soup on top and goop on the bottom. Be one with the pot; it’s fine. As the soup cools, the liquids will be absorbed by the peas.

First aid: If it’s starting to look too thick, don’t be shy about adding a few more cups of water. Worst case: it’ll boil off.

Serves:12-14 servings

Timing

Prep time: 10 minutes. Elapsed time: 90 minutes.

shlomi on December 27, 2009

Backstory

I generally hate sugary breads. Sugar in general in breads. But I had only a little time to get something together for two parties, so I gave it a shot. The second bread didn’t work, in the sense that I was looking for a multi-colored swirl or turducken effect. When I get it down, I’ll post it here. But the first bread was delicious, and it goes wonderfully with red wine, butter, or PBJ, depending on circumstances. I’m presuming y’all have a Kitchen Aid mixer with a dough hook, otherwise the mixing step will be 10 minutes instead of the 3 with the machine. (All hail American ingenuity!)

Ingredients

  • 5C Flour [unbleached whole]
  • 1T Salt
  • 2T yeast with 1T sugar in 1C warm water
  • 1/2C oatmeal
  • 1/2C maple syrup
  • 1/3C Almond oil

Preparation

  1. Mix all the dry ingredients, reserving 2C flour, while the yeast proofs in a bowl. When it has, add it and the wet ingredients to the mix.
  2. Add the remaining 2C flour slowly, until the dough is tacky but stays in a ball.
  3. Grease a bowl, put dough ball in it, then grease the entire dough.
  4. Cover and let rise 35 minutes.
  5. Punch down thoroughly, shape into a loaf and put into greased dish or pan in which it will bake (9″x9″ casserole dish works well). Set oven to 350° and put covered dough on top of stove. Let rise 25 minutes.
  6. Put dough in oven.
  7. For crispier crust, put a cast-iron pan into the oven when you heat it up. Then, after the bread’s in the oven, pour 2C boiling water into the cast-iron pan and close the door quickly.
  8. Bake for 40 minutes.

Serves: 8-10

Timing

Prep time: 5 minutes Elapsed time: 90 minutes.

When Latkes Go Horribly Wrong —> Casserole

shlomi on December 18, 2009

Backstory

When you want to make Latkes, go with a Jewish grandma’s recipe. Not something off a foodie site. I did what it said, doubling the ingredients. Except for the olive oil, which has a very low smoke point and I’m using an electric stovetop, so I went to canola.

Very unforgiving these recipes. A higher smoke point means a hotter oil. Crispy latkes at olive oil temps mean charred shavings at canola oil level. After two attempts at lowering temps while hungry folks waited, I gave up. Now I had a double batch of latkes goo with nowhere to go.

Into the fridge it went, covered tightly to keep it from blackening.

For the next two days it glared at me every time I opened the fridge door. I blithely ignored it and made anything but it.

Eventually I decided that three pounds of organic potatoes and a bunch of eggs was better used as an experiment than as compost. It worked out pretty darn well.

Ingredients

  • 3 lb. [organic] potatoes, washed, unpeeled
  • 1-1/2C [organic] onions
  • 4 [organic] eggs
  • 1-1/2 cups low-fat [organic] mozzarella cheese
  • 2t ground black pepper
  • A bit of olive oil
  • Optional: 1T powdered garlic, 2t [low-sodium] salt

Preparation

  1. Finely chop the onions.
  2. Preheat oven to 350º.
  3. Grease a 9″ dish with the olive oil.
  4. Shred the mozzarella cheese.
  5. Shred the potatoes into a pot with water. When you’re done, drain the water, then put the potatoes into a large kitchen towel and squeeze all the liquid from it.
  6. Throw all the ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly, then put into the pan. Make it all flat and pretty.
  7. Put the dish into the oven and give it 30 minutes.
  8. Open, add another layer of cheese, and give it another 10-15 minutes, or until the top is nice and brown.

Serves: 9-12 generous portions

 

Timing

Prep time: 20 minutes Elapsed time: 60 minutes

(Almost) All Things Orange Sweet Stew

shlomi on December 17, 2009

Backstory

Some things just don’t seem natural. In the spirit of not just making savory my staple, and in line with my idea that things can be put together oddly (like my cinnamon stew). So this one’s a weirdie I put together for fun. It’s oddly good, vegan and very healthy (especially if you keep the sweetener down to 1T/bowl).

This refrigerates and freezes pretty well, so feel free to make in advance and use on cold nights where a lighter fare sounds right for dinner.

Ingredients

  • 6 medium carrots. cut into 2-3″ sections
  • 2 sweet potatoes in large chunks
  • 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and in chunks as well
  • 2 cans pumpkin (more leftovers from Thanksgiving!) I tried using a real medium pumpkin and boiling it down and then mashing it and came to the exact same taste and texture — without tedium and cheaper)
  • 1-1/2 C raw oatmeal
  • 1T allspice
  • 1-1/2T ground cloves
  • 2T cinnamon
  • Sweetener of your choice (sugar, Splenda, honey, maple syrup)
  • Cinnamon sticks (optional)

Preparation

  1. Fill a 5-quart pot 1/2-way with water and set to boil. Toss in the squash, sweet potatoes and carrots and then add spices. Bring it to a boil, then set it down to a simmer for 20 minutes.
  2. Bring back to a boil and add the canned pumpkin. From here on out you’ll need to stir the pot so the bottom doesn’t burn. Once it boils bring it back down to a simmer. Wait 20 minutes.
  3. Add the oatmeal, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks on the bottom. Simmer another 10 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and serve in a bowl. Have sweeteners on the table, with cinnamon sticks as stirrers.

Serves: 8-12 as a soup, 4-6 as an entree

Timing

Prep time: 15 minutes Elapsed time: 70 minutes

Power Mayocoba Bean Chili: Vegan and Carnivorous Versions

shlomi on December 3, 2009

Backstory

This is a continuation of my saga with the mayocoba bean. Brilliant little food. No gas, no muss, no fuss. Meaty, lightly flavored. The salt pork version on the original bean bags was nice, but I live in Texas, after all, and we here… we here need to show how tough we are (ever since it became illegal to literally punch cattle). I’ve got lots of vegetarian, vegan and kosher-keeping friends, so I needed something I could do for them that wouldn’t be tough. Born is this dish. I’ve made it in a kitchen next to stables and in urban kitchens around town. Oh, and at home.

The ingredients lists are split both for vegan and for spicy components. Remember, one from each column, not all at once!

Ingredients

The base

  • 1 lb. dried mayacoba beans
  • 2 large yellow onions
  • Canola oil for frying
 

Mild Spicing

 

  • 2T cumin
  • 1t tumeric
  • 1-1/2t fresh ground pepper
  • 1/2 bulb garlic or jarred dized garlic
  • 3 Chipotle peppers, diced and seeded
  • 1 Serrano pepper, seeded and slivered
  

Hot Spicing

 

  • 3T cumin
  • 2t tumeric
  • 2t fresh ground pepper
  • 1 bulb fresh garlic, peeled
  • 7 Serrano peppers, sliced into rounds, with seeds
  • 3 Chipotle peppers, diced, with seeds
  • If you really insist: 5 Habanero peppers, chopped, with seeds. Oh, what the heck, just add Bhut Jolokia peppers to the pot and be done with it!

 

Vegan or Carnivore?

  1. 1 large purple onion and two large eggplant
  2. 2 lb. venison, bison, boar, yak, or ground meat of your choice

 

Preparation

  1. Soak the mayacoba beans for at least a day, changing the water at least twice. You can quick soak the beans by thoroughly rinsing them, then putting them in a pot with 2x height of water. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat. Keep tightly covered (why cast iron pots were invented?) for an hour. Drain and rinse again — they’re ready for cooking.
  2. Wash the beans a final time, then toss ’em in a VERY large pot (5+ quarts) and add enough water so they’re fully covered. Start it boiling with the lid on.
  3. If you’re making the carnivorous version, cut the frozen meat into discs, or the thawed meat into small fist-sized chunks.
  4. If you’re making the vegan version, take the onion, roughly chop it, then saute it to the point of carmelization. Then take the eggplant, wash the skins well, and slice into ~1/2″ thick slices. Cover ’em on both sides with salt and lay them down on paper or cloth towels for at least 20 minutes. After that time, rinse all the salt off, cut each slice into 4-6 pieces, and saute until entirely brown and tender. Set aside.

    The base

  5. 1 lb. dried mayacoba beans
  6. 2 large yellow onions
  7. Canola oil for frying
  8. Chop peppers and onions into 1/2″ to 1″ squares.
  9. Smash the garlic cloves then chop finely. Put them into a skillet with 2T canola oil and saute 2 minutes
  10. Add all the spices (remember to use a gas mask if you’re going full Bhut Jolokia on it!)
  11. Fry it up until the oil is entirely permeated with the spices (then notify hazmat that the dead birds in the area are just collateral chili damage)
  12. Toss all the spices in with the beans. If you’re a going to eat meat, now’s the time to toss it all in.
  13. Vegans, prep your rabbit food now (see above “ingredients”).
  14. Still every three or four minutes.
  15. After 20 minutes at full boil, reduce to a simmer.
  16. Simmer for another 30-40 minutes, stirring every 5-7 minutes to make sure nothing’s sticking to (or burning on) the bottom.

For vegetarians, add onions and eggplant to the beans in the bowl from which you’ll be eating (not the serving dish).

This is a salt-free recipe (unless you didn’t wash the eggplant well enough). Add your own.

Serves: 6-10 folks

 

Timing

Prep time: 15 minutes net        Elapsed time: 90-100 minutes

Why Pasta Fails

shlomi on December 2, 2009

I’ve been having a lot of fun with cooking and baking lately. It’s the first time in almost a year that I’ve had a real kitchen to work with, and the first time I’ve felt like I was building, instead of caretaking the destruction of a community of friends (long story, not relevant here). I’ve made soup bowl breads, spelt and oat breads, bean dishes, chilis and enough dishes for my first independent Thanksgiving to make me wonder at how much food one can create from less than $100 in ingredients. (That it’s still feeding me is yet more wonder.)

This afternoon and evening I’ve been cooking for a friend who is new to the whole “heat stuff and turn it into food” concept. It’s fun for both of us: a stretch for me to be informative and consistent in my cooking, and fun for her to learn new things. Tonight’s menu: pasta and sauce. Homemade sauce from scratch and homemade pasta. There’s little “scratch” in pasta; it’s only got three ingredients: flour, eggs and salt. Homemade sauce means blanching tomatoes, reducing them, simmering in the flavors while frying up the onions, garlic and shallots. Then jockeying it all together and finally the fine (apparently lost) art of simmering a vat ‘o stuff without burning any of it.

Complex tomato sauce from scratch, with amazing flavor and ingredients: check. Pasta from three ingredients: FAIL!

Okay, maybe I was too optimistic. I mean, with three ingredients, what can go wrong? A lot, apparently.

  • 5 – 1/3C flour — I used organic, unbleached whole flour
  • 4 eggs — I used organic, from a farm eggs instead of the thin watery kind in use
  • “a generous pinch” of salt — I used a tsp. of low-sodium salt analog

Taken one at a time, these are innocent substitutions. But did you note that I substituted 100% of the ingredients? (Well, except for the egg, but it’s the spirit I know I messed with.)

The problem with out microwave, cell phone, ADHD culture (which I am, apparently, a late member thereof) is this insane idea that doing something approximately right is like doing it right.

Note to self: almost right is like almost on target: And that only works, as I’ve been told, with horseshoes, hand grenades, and H-Bombs. None of which were ingredients.

Rubber bands. Entirely flaccid, entirely non-tasty rubber bands. A little dusty something in the middle. Elastic like gummy bears© in the sun.

They said roll it as thin as a dime. Dime thin dough turned into about two Sacajawea’s thickness worth of… well, gummy bears.

The sauce? To die for. It’s a freaking fantastic, from the hip, absolutely head on dish. Which my friend took, after I bagged, home. Sigh.

And I guess I’ll need to work on the whole pasta thing some more.

I’ll post the tomato sauce recipe, as ill-qualified as I am to speak Italian sauce recipes, when I get a chance.

Cinnamon Chili Stew

shlomi on December 1, 2009

Backstory

I’ve loved mayacoba beans (also called yellow or Peruvian beans). At my local store there was a recipe on the back of the bag, calling for a crock pot, cumin, onions and salt pork. Tried it, liked it, but wanted something more interesting and healthier. Given that this vunderbeans don’t have any sugars (all complex carbs), it’s replaced almost every other bean (except chickpeas). It’s great for Sunday cooking for food for the week. It’s also great for winter parties: it cooks while the party gathers, and it’s hot and ready 90 minutes after the party starts.

It’s just about fat free, except for oil used for frying or what’s in meat (if meat’s used). There’s little salt added — it can be entirely omitted so it’s even healthier. Spicing is to normal human standards; if you’re looking for something with more punch, check out my Power Mayacoba Bean Chili.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. dried mayacoba beans
  • 2 large yellow onions
  • 1/2 lb. any solid green veggie you want: asparagus, broccoli, bell pepper (leafy veggies will not last in the pot).
  • 2 lb. frozen venison or absurdly lean ground meat or poultry / 2 lb. 2″ cubed extra firm tofu
  • Oil for frying
  • 1.5T ground cinnamon
  • 2T cumin
  • 4T chili powder (I use 90k cayenne) or 3T hot dry BBQ rub powder (it has salt in it)
  • 3T Tabasco® sauce / any vinegar-based hot sauce
  • 2t tumeric
  • 1T salt / 1T reduced sodium salt / no salt

Optional:

  • Make the beans vegan but without the tofu. When you want to eat some, toss cheese / soy cheese into the beans and stir. Yum!

Preparation

  1. Soak the mayacoba beans for at least a day, changing the water at least twice
  2. Wash the beans a final time, then toss ’em in a VERY large pot (5+ quarts) and add enough water so they’re fully covered. Start it boiling with the lid on.
  3. Chop the onions into ~2″ lengths
  4. Chop the veggies (we all need our greens) and sautè them as well, just until they’re all warmed up and glistening
  5. For meat: Take the frozen venison roll and slice it into thick patties (1-2″ thick). No need to defrost or brown. If it’s already thawed, skip this step.
  6. For tofu: chop the tofu, then fry in oil at high heat (to give it a bit of a skin)
  7. Once the beans are boiling, add all the spices. Put lid back on.
  8. Wait 10 minutes.
  9. Add the meat/tofu and veggies.
  10. Let it come back up to a full, roiling boil, then reduce it to a simmer and take off the lid.
  11. If you used frozen meat, start breaking up the frozen discs starting 10 minutes after it comes back to a simmer.
  12. Stir every 10 minutes or so.
  13. If it’s too watery, up the heat a bit.
  14. If, at the end of 90 minutes from first bean boil (#7) it’s still too watery, either pour through colander, or add arrowroot or cornflour to thicken into stew.

Serves:

This feeds a large number of people (makes 10-16 bowls of chili/stew), depending on what you put into it.

Timing

Prep time: 10 minutes.    Elapsed time: 90 minutes (not including soaking beans)