I know. This sounds a little strange. But if you have been waiting to try one of my recipes, this is the one to try. It is fairly simple and oh so delicious!
This chili starts with a rich peppery base. I sautéed onion, garlic, and an assortment of peppers together. When they were soft, I added some wine, canned tomatoes and broth and eventually pureed the mixture into fabulousness.
The base is what makes this so good. Spend the most time making the base taste to your liking. You might not be able to find fresh pimento peppers in your local grocery store. You could use canned or you can use other kinds of peppers. The peppers are what make this spicy. If you don’t like a lot of spice, use bell peppers instead of poblanos or cut back on the jalapeno. As you are chopping your peppers, taste a little bit of each one you add to check for spice. I have a fairly low tolerance for spice and this dish was right on the edge of my tolerance. Adding more sour cream and cheese helped! 🙂
Once you get the base perfect, drop in the eggplant and the can of chili. I love Amy’s chili. It has an amazing flavor. I wanted to use it with this dish because I wanted something more exciting than just a can of beans in my chili. Amy’s chili has TVP and beans in it. TVP (texturized vegetable protein) is what a lot of fake meat is made from (especially fake ground meat). Added to this chili, the tiny pieces of protein add some great protein without taking away from the texture of the chili. If you don’t want to try Amy’s chili, you could add some beans or your favorite can of chili. Or you could be adventurous and try Amy’s!
I served this soupy chili on flour tortillas, topped with cheese, sour cream, and fresh tomatoes. It was messy. Deliciously messy. I was thankful I was only eating with my husband. Crunchy tortilla chips would be wonderful with the chili too. Or you can skip the taco part and just eat it by the spoonful.
However you eat this, you will be licking your plate and wishing for more!
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 poblano peppers, chopped
- 4 pimento peppers, chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin, ground
- 1 teaspoon oregano, dried
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced
- 1 can Amy's Spicy Organic Chili
- 1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 6 flour tortillas
- Heat about 1 teaspoon oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, then garlic, then peppers as you get them chopped. Stir in the cumin and oregano. Let cook for about 3 minutes or until the peppers are soft, adding small amounts of water to prevent sticking.
- Stir in the red wine; simmer until reduced to almost nothing.
- Stir in the canned tomatoes and the vegetable broth and simmer over medium-low heat for 7 minutes.
- Puree the mixture with an immersion blender and then return to medium-low heat.
- Stir in the cilantro, canned chili and eggplant. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the eggplant is cooked thoroughly but still holds a firm shape.
- If serving tacos, warm the tortillas in the microwave for a few seconds. Spoon the chili onto the tortilla. Top with some shredded cheese, sour cream, and fresh tomato. Fold the tortilla around the filling and attempt to eat. When it gets too messy, just use a fork and knife to cut a piece of tortilla with each bite. Yum!
jill, this looks delicious. i am going to see if i can get my sister to make it for me.
It is delicious! And it is equally good and not nearly as messy with tortilla chips.