Ingredients:
1 red onion
1 poblano pepper
1 red pepper
3 cloves garlic
2# prepared black beans
1/2# rhubarb
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp each smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, and chile (ancho, chipotle, etc.)powder
2 cups each veg stock and water
1 lime
The cooking bit:
The biggest thing is prep. We're going to be running hot to put a bit of char on our veggies. That'll add depth and low notes to the flavor, and it can make things deceptively meaty. Get the onions and peppers chopped to suit yourself. A lightsaber would come in handy here since it will cut and char. If, like myself, you don't have one (I'm allergic to midichlorians), then we will have to use the stove and pot like savages. More on that later. Mash the garlic. Combine spices. Gather prepared or canned beans (canned are fine since we are working quick here). Slice rhubarb. Measure liquids.
Ready to roll? Groovy. Gather thine pot. Splash some oil in it. Crank up the heat. Add the onion/pepper mix first. Kick it around a bit with a handy implement, but you'll have to give it some time to sit on the heat in order to get the bit of black we want. When you are comfortable and things are all roasty smelling, drop the heat and add the garlic. We can char peppers, but burnt garlic is nasty. Add the spices and stir some more. When things are really fragrant, add the rhubarb and beans. Make sure the heat is medium to low. We need to heat it through to soften the rhubarb a bit, but we've already done all the burning we need. Add the liquids when things are thick. Did you remember the lime? I almost didn't. Zest it, juice it, and toss every last bit into the soup. Even the emptied husk of lime. There is still flavor in there, and we do not waste flavor. Bring it to a boil, lid, and lower to a simmer. After fifteen minutes or so, check the seasonings. Season if needed. It should be rich, smokey, and a little tart. Think of the rhubarb as an improvement on the traditional chili tomato. You can eat the day you make it, but it really does taste better the next day. Try to save some.
Bloggy woggy:
This is the sort of recipe I love because I had no idea what I was doing when I threw it together. I had been meaning to make a vegan chili for a couple of months. Likewise a hot soup with rhubarb since it's in season and I have a major rhubarb addiction. Likewise a sweet chili. Thanks to a persistent lack of sleep, I was juuuust loopy enough to think throwing all three ideas into a pot was a good idea. AND IT WORKED!! The only difference between the finished product and my initial recipe was adding more rhubarb. Recipes like this make me think that sometimes I actually know what I'm doing. :)
Now if you do make this recipe, let me know how you like it. This is brand spanking new and put out late today, so I don't even know if it has been tried yet.
