Tasty

Condiment Chili

First appeared in Grainews on 23 January 2018

This chili, made with or without meat, abets a cook’s resolution to reduce the condiment collection that clutters most fridges. Thanks to my friend Gail Norton, owner of The Cookbook Co. Cooks in Calgary, for this flexible and great way to season pulses.

Serves 18-20

4-8 c.

dried beans (black turtle, navy, great northern, lima, pinto, kidney)

1 T.

kosher salt

2 T.

olive oil

2

onions, chopped

6

cloves garlic, chopped

2

bell peppers, diced

6

links Italian sausage, diced, or 3 lb. ground beef or pork (optional)

1 T.

cumin seed

1 T.

ground coriander

4-6 T.

chili powder

3 T.

Spanish or Hungarian sweet paprika

1 T.

dried basil

1 T.

dried oregano

1 t.

dried thyme

1 t.

cracked fennel seed

2-4 T.

Worcestershire sauce

1-28 oz.

tin canned tomatoes or tomato sauce

1-5 oz.

tin tomato paste

¼ c.

molasses, pomegranate molasses or maple syrup

1-2 T.

each of condiments (mustard, pesto, jam or jelly, barbecue sauce, syrup, flavoured honey, ketchup, chilli sauce, chutney, herb paste, marmalade, etc.)

1 T.

apple cider vinegar

hot chili flakes or cayenne to taste

salt to taste

minced parsley or cilantro for garnish

yoghurt for garnish

Directions

Cook the beans in advance without soaking: soaking strips out nutrients, but do add salt, as it helps the beans hold their shape as they cook. Put the beans in a big pot with plenty of water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer with a lid until tender, about 2 ½ hours; older beans may take longer and require more water. Cook until tender!

Sautee the onion, garlic and peppers in the oil. Sautee the chopped sausage or ground meat. Add the cumin, coriander, chili powder, paprika and cayenne. Add all other ingredients, including the cooked beans and any cooking liquid. Simmer until thick, stirring frequently. To serve, garnish with chopped cilantro and yoghurt.

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Condiment Chili

First appeared in Grainews on 23 January 2018

This chili, made with or without meat, abets a cook’s resolution to reduce the condiment collection that clutters most fridges. Thanks to my friend Gail Norton, owner of The Cookbook Co. Cooks in Calgary, for this flexible and great way to season pulses.

4-8 c.

1 T.

2 T.

2

6

2

6

1 T.

1 T.

4-6 T.

3 T.

1 T.

1 T.

1 t.

1 t.

2-4 T.

1-28 oz.

1-5 oz.

¼ c.

1-2 T.

1 T.

Directions

All Posts

“Bread & Water is an emotionally arresting, beautifully written series of essays.”

“Food is a wonderful agent for storytelling... and Bread & Water demonstrates this brilliantly.”

“[Bread & Water is] An amazing feast... riveting... eloquent.”

“[Bread & Water is a] sensuous experience; she brings her poet’s eye and ear to everything within her purview.”

“A deep love of the art of cooking that includes the language of fine dining (cassoulet, confit) even if the lamb was raised in Olds and she picked the rhubarb herself... she impressively manages this collision of worlds with a wholesome, approachable style.”

“These finely focussed poems [in Wildness Rushing In] invite us into a sensuous and emotionally rich landscape.”

“The writing [in Wildness Rushing In] is honed and textured, the senses so alive that you can practically taste the language. There are moments of brilliance rare in a first book.”

“dee Hobsbawn-Smith’s stories [in What Can’t Be Undone] are written with a poetic edge. Her descriptions, particularly western landscapes, are often luxurious, lending themselves a kind of nuanced impression, a delicate fingerprint on the reader’s mind. "

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