Vegetable Chili (adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook)
1 medium size eggplant, unpeeled, cut into ½” cubes
1 tbs coarse Kosher salt (I don’t use this)
¾ cup or as needed olive oil
2 medium yellow onions cut into ¼” dice
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 large green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into ¼” dice
1 can (35 oz) Italian plum tomatoes
1 ½ lb fresh ripe Italian plum tomatoes, cut into 1” cube
2 tbs chili powder
1 tbs ground cumin
1 tbs dried oregano
1 tbs dried basil
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fennel seeds (I use a tablespoon)
½ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 cup canned dark red kidney beans drained (I use a whole can)
1 cup canned chick peas (garbanzos) drained (I use a whole can)
1 can of small black olives drained (my add, we love black olives!)
½ cup fresh dill
2 tbs lemon juice
1. Place eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with coarse salt. Let stand for one hour. Pat dry with paper towels. (I don’t do this.)
2. Heat ½ cup of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add eggplant and sauté until almost tender, adding more oil if needed. Remove eggplant to a large pot.
3. Heat ¼ cup of oil in same skillet over low heat. Add onions, garlic, and green peppers and sauté just until softened, about 10 minutes. Add to the pot with oil.
4. Place the pot over low heat and add canned tomatoes with liquid, fresh tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, oregano, basil, pepper, salt, fennel, and parsley. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently for 30 minutes.
5. Stir in the kidney beans, chickpeas, olives, dill and lemon juice and cook for another 15 minutes. The eggplant peel should be tender.
6. Serve with brown rice (I don’t do this) and shredded cheddar cheese
Makes 8 portions