This week at the Children’s Food Lab’s Genius Dinner Group we made a simple veggie chili with homemade tortillas. I usually thicken chilis by pureeing a small amount of the soup and adding it back into it. But when working with kids this can be a dangerous step — hot soup being transferred to a blender….eeeh! To avoid this and still thicken the chili, we added a can of refried beans, which are essentially mashed up beans. They did the trick, thickening the soup just enough, and giving it the right amount of body.
The homemade tortilla chips were perhaps the biggest surprise for me, as I had never made them before preparing for class. The trick is to oil them well on all sides and spread the chips out on two sheet pans so they are not crowded. Cooking them long enough is also key, so that once cooled, they are super crispy. For this, you have to toast them longer than you might think. Also, it’s best to make just what you’ll eat as they don’t keep as well as the fried-packaged kind. The great thing about them is that they are healthier, pretty tasty, and your child will learn how yet another item they eat all the time is made.
Veggie Chili
Serves 6 to 8.
1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 large red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
Kosher salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch of cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed up, with their juices
1 (15-ounce) can refried beans
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups vegetable broth or water
1 tablespoon lime juice, to taste
Garnishes: chopped cilantro, avocado, and/or onion, tortilla chips, sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, (optional)
1. In a large, wide heavy-bottomed pot, warm the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the chopped onion, pepper, carrot, celery and 2 big pinches of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Place the minced garlic, chili powder, cocoa powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, cinnamon, and bay leaf in a small bowl. Transfer the spices to the onion mixture, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds.
3. Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, and the refried beans. Then add the drained beans and the broth or water. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
4. Season to taste with lime juice and salt. Serve with cilantro, avocado, tortilla chips, sour cream and grated cheese, if you choose. Will keep in the refrigerator for several days or you can freeze it for several weeks.
NOTE #1: To make it spicier, add a little canned chipotle in adobo, or increase the chili powder.
NOTE #2: To make a meaty version, remove the red pepper and refried beans, and add 1 pound of ground beef. Start the recipe by generously salting the ground beef and cooking it in the pot until no longer pink. Transfer the beef to a bowl, and wipe out the pot. Then proceed with the recipe as written. Add the cooked beef back into the pot, along with the beans and broth.
Homemade Tortilla Chips
Serves 4 to 6.
2 to 3 tablespoons neutral-tasting oil, like canola, safflower or other vegetable oil
8 to 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas (a mix of corn and flour, or just corn is good)
Kosher salt
1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Place the oil in a cup or small bowl. Dip a pastry brush into the oil, and brush the tortillas on both sides with a thin coating of oil.
2. Stack the tortillas one over the other. Using a large, sharp knife, cut the stack in half, then cut each half again, and each quarter in half again, to make 8 triangular-ish tortilla chip stacks.
3. Spread the chips out in a single layer on two baking sheets and season them generously with salt. Bake until golden brown and crispy, for about 8 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the tortillas, rotating the sheets top to bottom and front to back after 5 minutes. Taste and season with more salt as needed