This is a version of my Chili con Carne, modified with the help of a friend who’s training to be a professional chef.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 large red onion, finely diced
- 2 bell peppers (green & red), deseeded, finely diced
- 2 stalks of celery, finely diced
- 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 250 g veggy mince
- 300 g mushroom mince or finely diced mushrooms
- 1 fresh jalapeño, deseeded and finely diced
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 chipotle con adobo, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp chipotle sauce
- 200 ml red wine
- 1 can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can of chopped tomatoes
- 1 veggy stock cube
- 250 ml water
- 15 g dark chocolate (will make the dish no longer vegan, but so worth it)
- salt & pepper
- juice of half a lime
Recipe:
- Heat the oil in a big pan, then add the onion, bell peppers, jalapeño and celery, and fry this on low heat until it all starts to soften, while adding a little salt and pepper
- Add the garlic and veggy-mince, and push the veggy-mince apart in the pan
- Turn up the heat, add the oregano, bay leaf, cumin, koriander and chipotle, and stir well to spread the herbs all across the pan
- Add the wine, water, stock cube and tomatoes
- Add the rinsed beans and mushrooms
- Season with some more salt and black pepper
- Bring to a boil and let gently simmer and thicken for about half an hour
- Check for flavour, add salt/pepper/lime to balance it
- Last but not least, add the chocolate for an extra oomph, and let it gently melt while stirring for another 5 minutes
Serve with nachos / guacamole / whatever floats your boat.
Extra tips to add flavour to such a hearty veggy dish:
– Yeast flakes
– MSG
– More lime
– Mushroom stock cube
– More adobo sauce
– More black pepper than you think