Everyone loves chili! (Right?) This vegetarian chili is from Great Bowls of Fire: The World’s Spiciest Soups, Chilies, Stews, and Hot Pots by Jay Solomon. It came together really quickly, and Abbie’s cornbread was a perfect accompaniment. The spice level was just right — not too hot, but definitely present.

Rather, this:

Chris, Lisa, Thad, and Abbie said:

Yum, This is delicious, Could you pass the cornbread, Thank you, No problem, This isn’t very spicy, I like it, As do I, Thanks for making mine without cilantro, I love cilantro, I love corn, Good job on the cornbread, Are there any leftovers, No.

Ancho White Bean Chili
2 dried New Mexico chilies, seeded
1 cup simmering water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 large carrot, diced
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 28-oz can fire-roasted plum tomatoes
1 15-oz can corn kernels, drained
1 15-oz can white kidney beans, drained
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

chopped fresh cilantro, to garnish

In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the dried chilies for about 2 minutes, shaking as they cook. Remove from the heat and cover with 1 cup of simmering water, then soak for 15-20 minutes. Place the chilies in a blender with 1/2 cup of the water and puree for 5 seconds. Scrape into a small bowl.
In a dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, zucchini, carrot, and garlic, and cook for six minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and the pureed chilies and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
Remove from the heat and let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. Top with the cilantro.

6 Servings

This strong-flavored soup is adapted from a recipe in Great Bowls of Fire. The original recipe called for ramen-style noodles, but we used chinese egg noodles and it came out great. The shiitakes and mushroom broth make this a shroom-tastic meal for this time of year. Veggie-licious!

Lisa says:

I heart mushrooms.

Chris says:

And you heart vegetables.

Lisa says:

Well now you know why I made this.

Chris says:

This is probably the darkest broth we’ve had in a long time.

Lisa says:

That’s mostly from the mushroom broth — it was darker than the chicken or veggie broths we usually use.

Chris says:

I’m a big fan — and the cornstarch at the end thickened it up nicely. A pretty filling meal!

Noodle and Shiitake-Ginger Soup
5 oz chinese egg noodles
1 tbsp peanut oil
1/4 lb shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced at an angle
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
1 tbsp minced ginger root
2 cups sliced bok choy leaves
4 cups mushroom broth
1 8-oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/4 lb extra-firm tofu, diced
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
4 tsp Szechuan sauce
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

Cook the noodles according to the package directions until al dente and set aside.
In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the mushrooms, carrots, bell pepper, and ginger and cook for 7 minutes over medium heat, stirring. Add the bok choy and cook for 3 minutes more. Stir in the broth, water chestnuts, tofu, soy sauce, sesame oil, and Szechuan sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 1 1/2 tbsp cold water. Whisk the mixture into the soup and cook for 3 more minutes over low heat.
Use tongs to place the noodles in 4 soup bowls. Ladle the soup over the top and serve.

4 Servings

A new recipe from Great Bowls of Fire for us tonight — this one was nice and spicy! Thin strips of beef are stir-fried with peppers, mushrooms, and snap peas, and drowned in a sauce of coconut milk, chicken broth, and soy sauce. Filling and delicious!

Chris says:

Whoa — this is spicier than I was expecting!

Lisa says:

Don’t be a baby… it’s a lot less intense with the rice.

Chris says:

Hey, I’m the one who likes spicy, remember? I just meant I had my chili sauce at the ready and don’t think I’ll need to add as much as usual.

Lisa says:

While you’ve been jibber-jabbing about spicy foods, I’ve been enjoying my dinner.. mmm, so good! I love the coconut milk flavor.

Chris says:

Agreed. If this dinner was a song by Kansas, it’d be “Curry on Wayward Son”.

Lisa says:

So, I’ve learned to live with your puns, but what the heck does that even mean?

Chris says:

No clue. Okay, I’m going to finish eating this deliciousness.

Red Curry Beef and Mushrooms
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 lb top round
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into slivers
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp minced ginger root
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp red curry paste
1 cup low-fat coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 lb. snow peas, halved
3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp cornstarch
10 basil leaves, cut into strips
4 cups cooked Jasmine rice

In a large wok, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and stir-fry until browned, 4-6 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside, keeping warm.
In the same wok, add the bell pepper and mushrooms and stir-fry over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the beef and curry paste and stir-fry for 2 minutes more. Stir in the coconut milk, broth, snow peas, soy sauce, cumin, and coriander and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine the cornstarch with 1 tbsp water. Whisk into the curry sauce and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the basil leaves and serve over rice.

4 Servings

Chris says:

You’re gonna love the portion sizes here — chalk up another one for Great Bowls of Fire!

Lisa says:

Wow, this is only four servings?? It’s so much food! How many “peppers” is this on the heat index?

Chris says:

The book claims two, but it’s not nearly that spicy…

Lisa says:

Nope, it’s not… I love th — I mean, I [heart] the squash.

Chris says:

Thanks for keeping the theme alive.

Locro Chicken
————-
1 tbsp canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
1 14-oz can stewed tomatoes
3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, diced
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups peeled, diced butternut squash
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
4 scallions, chopped

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeños and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the chicken, tomatoes, and all the spices, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, squash, and rice and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook about 20 minutes, still over medium heat, or until the squash and rice are tender.
Remove from the heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff the rice and serve in wide bowls.

4 Servings

Chris says:

Oooh, I love this. Not at all similar to the other soups and stews we’ve made from GBOF.

Lisa says:

It’s definitely different — I can really taste all the different flavors: the salty, the sweet, the spicy… you don’t need to add anything! It’s deceptively rich, too. So good!

Chris says:

If this is anywhere close to “real” Indonesian, sign me up!

Javanese Chicken Soup
———————
2 tbsp peanut oil
1/2 lb boneless chicken breast, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger root, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup snow peas
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 cup canned light coconut milk
1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup kecap manis
Juice of 2 limes
2 tsp sambal
2 whole scallions, chopped
1.75 oz cellophane noodles

In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until slightly browned and fully cooked, about 7 minutes. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, heat the other tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger, and cook, stirring for 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth, snow peas, cumin, coriander, and cooked chicken and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add the coconut milk, peanut butter, kecap manis, lime juice, sambal, and scallions and bring to a simmer.
Stir the noodles into the soup and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
Ladle into bowls and serve with additional scallions and sambal.

6 Servings

Tonight I made a cioppino from Great Bowls of Fire. I love the combination of the swordfish and the shrimp in the tomato and fish-stock based broth. The recipe calls for a quarter cup of dry red wine — the one we used was so dark it almost gave the broth a purplish hue!

Chris says:

I loves me some cioppino! This is one of those GBOF recipes that you don’t really notice the heat.

Lisa says:

It tastes really good. Hmm, did you butterfly the shrimp?

Chris says:

Yeah, why?

Lisa says:

Makes it look like calamari or body parts or something.

Chris says:

Well that sounds appetizing; let’s eat!

Mediterranean Swordfish Cioppino
——————————–
1 tbsp canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 serrano peppers, seeded and minced
3 cups fish stock
1 14 oz can stewed tomatoes
1/4 dry red wine
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 lb swordfish steak, cubed
1/2 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 tomato paste
1/4 cup parsley

Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large saucepan. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and serranos and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the fish stock, stewed tomatoes, wine, oregano, basil, pepper, and salt and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Add the swordfish and shrimp and return to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomato paste and parsley and cook for 5 minutes more.

4 Servings

Tonight we returned to the old standby, Great Bowls of Fire. Lisa made this spicy curry that features chicken, sweet potatoes, and various other vegetables and spices. We served it with brown basmati rice.

Chris says:

Yum! The flavors work really well together — I love the sweetness of the sweet potatoes and the spiciness of the … spices.

Lisa says:

Okay, *that’s* going on the blog.

Chris says:

Oy.

Lisa says:

This is why I love Great Bowls of Fire: it has the best volume to calories ratio of any of our cookbooks. The recipes are all delicious and you actually feel full afterwards!

Curried Chicken with Sweet Potatoes
———————————–
1 tbsp canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 medium tomato, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 fresh cayenne peppers, seeded and minced
1 tbsp minced ginger root
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb boneless chicken breasts, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 large sweet potato, diced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onion, tomato, garlic, chili pepper, and ginger and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Add the curry powder, cumin, turmeric, and salt and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, for 5 or 6 minutes more.
Add the carrots, sweet potato, and broth and bring to a simmer. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is fully cooked. Remove from the heat and let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.
Ladle the curry into bowls and serve with basmati rice on the side.

3-4 Servings.

Thad and Abbie came over tonight to be a part of Lisa’s first experience with catfish. This recipe comes from Great Bowls of Fire, which we’ve (sadly) been neglecting for a while, but now that we’re into the cooler weather I’m sure that spicy stews and hotpots are going to make a more regular appearance. Abbie and Thad brought over some cornbread to serve with the stew.

Abbie says:

Yuuum! Hey, why didn’t you take a picture of my cornbread?

Thad says:

It was good; I wasn’t paying much attention and then I looked at my bowl and realized I had eaten all my fish.

Chris says:

I haven’t had much catfish since moving from Dallas… I used to love me some fried catfish and hushpuppies… Lisa, what did you think about your first taste of catfish??

Lisa says:

It’s good… catfish tastes…. fishy. I mean, fishier than some other fish. I think I’d have it again.

Catfish Creole Stew
——————-
2 tbsp canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14 oz) stewed tomatoes
1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp bottled red hot sauce
1 1/2 lbs boneless catfish fillets, coarsely chopped
4 cups cooked long-grain white rice

In a large saucepan, heat 1 tbsp of the oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring, for 6 minutes over medium-high heat. Add the stewed tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, thyme, black pepper, cayenne pepper, salt, and hot sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil. Stir in the catfish and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until the catfish is cooked in the center and opaque, about 7 minutes. Fold the fish into the sauce and return to a simmer.
Spoon the rice into shallow bowls and ladle the stew over the rice. Serve with corn bread.

4 Servings

This week’s meals were all prepared by Lisa while I was going batty fighting viruses on the computer (hence the lack of recent posts). Tuesday night was Chicken Yassa, a lemon-flavored stew with lots of onions and herbs. Lisa prepared this dish over couscous, which soaked up all the juices — it made for great leftovers. The recipe comes from Great Bowls of Fire.

Chicken Yassa
————-
1 lb boneless chicken thighs or breasts
Juice of 2 large lemons
1 tbsp canola oil
2 medium yellow onions, slivered
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 serrano peppers, seeded and minced
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups diced potatoes
2 carrots, diced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup couscous

Combine the chicken and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour.
In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onions, garlic, and serranos and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Stir in the chicken and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add the broth, potatoes, carrots, wine, parsley, salt, thyme, and black pepper and bring to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is fully cooked.
Meantwhile, combine the boiling water and couscous in a bowl, and cover. Let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff the grains, cover the pot, and let stand until the stew is ready. Spoon the couscous into bowls and ladle the chicken stew over the top.

4 Servings.

Tonight Lisa made a dish that’s just a slight variation on the ‘Seafood “Dirty” Rice’ in Great Bowls of Fire. The main difference was that while that recipe called for a mixture of shrimp and scallops, Lisa used all shrimp, and she also replaced the white rice with brown. It was very flavorful, and the shrimp stayed juicy and tender. The recipe below is with those modifications.

Shrimp “Dirty” Rice
——————-
1 tbsp canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 large stalk celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup tomato puree
1 cup water
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup nonfat milk
4 cups cooked brown rice
4 whole green onions, chopped
2 tsp bottled red hot sauce

In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring, for 6 minutes over medium-high heat. Stir in the tomato puree, water, oregano, thyme, salt, white pepper, and cayenne pepper and bring to a simmer. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, over medium heat until they are opaque, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the milk and return to a gentle simmer. Fold in the cooked rice, green onions, and hot sauce. Spoon into shallow bowls and serve while piping hot.

Serves 4.