The Tartan

By Ian Giles

In honor of the 7th Annual Soup Crawl, here is my world-famous chili recipe. Is chili a soup? Probably not. It’s likely more of a stew. Is it warm, delicious, and nutritionally dense, and does it satiate my soup cravings? 100 percent. My definitions of soup, stew, and chili are very loose, as is this recipe. It is meant to act as a means of using whatever ingredients you have. You can make it vegan, you can make it meaty, I’ve even made it with sweet potatoes before. The world is your oyster. 

Total Time: ~30 minutes

Servings: 3-4

Ingredients

– 2 cans of black beans

– 1 can of kidney or pinto beans

– ~3 smoked sausage links

– 1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilis (may sub for 1 can of tomato paste/diced tomatoes and 1 small can of green chilis)

– 1 onion

– 1 clove of garlic

– ~1 tbsp avocado or vegetable oil

– Salt & pepper 

– Something with a kick. I like using cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, and chili powder

– Whatever additional seasoning you have like onion powder, garlic powder, or oregano

Steps

1. Add oil to a large pot on medium heat.
2. Dice onion and add to pot. If you want a spicier chili, go ahead and add your spices now, since they will be more soluble in the fat of the oil.
3. Mince garlic, cut the sausage into rounds, and add to the pot. If the smoked sausage is frozen, you can defrost it in the pot before adding onion. 
4. Once the sausages are a little browned, the garlic is fragrant, and the onions are caramelized, turn the heat to low and add the beans, diced tomatoes, and green chilis. Add seasoning and spices to taste. I strain my beans first but if you add the entire can, you probably won’t have to add too much salt. Stir to combine.
5. At this point, depending on what ingredients you used, your texture may be very thick or very thin. If it’s too thick, add some chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water. If it’s too thin, you may need to simmer for longer. Another strategy for thickening your chili is to mash or blend one of the cans of beans.
6. Simmer for at least 20 minutes. Check the taste and texture. If everything is to your liking, take it off the heat, let it sit for a minute, then serve. Add some shredded cheese and sour cream on top if you want.