VEGETARIAN CHILI: Mostly Mild Chili Powder

[Guest guest]

This week's featured cookbook, The Vegetarian Chili Cookbook, by Robin

Robertson, has 80 different recipes for chili. But what is chili? It is

something different where ever you go. Robertson asks the question and

then finally says that it is a stew like dish that contains chili powder.

 

I'm posting the various chili powders that she gives us in the book. You

can use these or chili powder from the grocers for these recipes.

 

* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Mostly Mild Chili Powder

 

Recipe By : The Vegetarian Chili Cookbook, by Robin Robertson, page 8

Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

1 cup mild ground dried chiles

1/4 cup hot ground dried chiles

2 tablespoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons ground oregano -- preferably Mexican

 

Mostly mild, this blend can easily be made hot by increasing the amount of

hot ground chiles. The cumin and oregano amounts may be adjusted as well.

 

Combine all ingredients together, mixing well. Store in an airtight

container in a cool, dry place.

 

The type and amount of spices that go into your chili is a matter of

personal taste. In this book, I delve into a wide variety of seasoning

combinations. I prefer using Mexican oregano, because I find it to be more

flavorful than European oregano, but it's not a necessary requirement for

making a great pot of chili, and the European variety will suffice. If

you'd like to experiment with Mexican oregano, look for it in the

international section of your supermarket, specialty stores, or mail-order

catalogs.

 

You may notice that some recipes call for extra cumin, oregano, or other

spices in addition to the specified chili powder blend. However, if you're

not particularly fond of cumin, for example, you may choose to simply omit

any added cumin from your recipe and the chili will still taste

fine. Always remember that less is more. If you're not sure how well you

like a spice, or how hot you want the dish, season it a little at a

time-you can always add more, but you can't take it back once it goes

in. In addition to chili powder some recipes call for minced fresh chiles,

which can give an added dimension of flavor, and often heat, to a pot of

chili. Remember that while chili tastes better a day or two later, those

spices also intensify over time.

 

 

 

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