As part of my recent efforts to offer my vegetarian daughter a varied diet, I found a recipe for meatless black bean chili and decided to try it. Coincidentally, a friend of mine also announced a similar attempt for his girlfriend and the question above was posed. What, after all, defines chili? Is it the peppers? The meat? The fact that they are prepared together?
The
history and legends of the origins of chili are varied in themselves: a beautiful 17th century Spanish nun who fed and saved the souls of savages; 19th century gold rush cowboys who created dried chili bricks to be rehydrated in water along the trails; Texas prisons that made the most of what little they had. And there are others, for sure. But what are the common - indeed universal - ingredients? MEAT AND CHILES. What is the definition of chili? According to Merriam-Webster: a thick sauce of meat and chiles.
So I answer the question posed in the title of this post: No.
Apparently, what I made was in fact NOT the
Greens-inspired Black Bean Chili, but Black Bean Soup. I can live with that. It turned out pretty well what with its
ancho chile, spice mixture consisting of toasted cumin seeds, paprika and cayenne powders, dried oregano, bay leaf, onion and red bell pepper, garlic, salt, chopped tomatoes, and
chipotle chiles in
adobo. Mmmm. Saute the onion and bell pepper until golden, add the garlic and chipotle, followed by the spices.
Then black beans and water - simmer. Finish with cilantro and sour cream and you've got yourself a tasty vegetarian SOUP. Add sauteed chorizo and you have CHILI. Huh, Jack?
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