Comfort Food

The frost would be on the pumpkin if there were any growing in my yard or decorating my doorstep. It's cold outside, and when it's cold, my thoughts turn to rib-sticking comfort food like meaty stews and hearty soups. My son Mark is a vegetarian, so I also look for non-meat dishes that will make everyone happy.

Last night, I made vegetarian chili for dinner. Food purists would say it doesn't deserve to be called chili (chili powder is the only "pepper" in it and there's no meat) but I say fie on them. I use a recipe I adapted from a cookbook called Laurel's Kitchen called "Chili con Elote."

Elote means corn in Spanish. Actually, it means corn on the cob, but let's not get technical. There's a famous restaurant in La Garita, Costa Rica devoted to all things corn, Fiesta de Maize. We went there once on the way home from a beach trip. The food wasn't very good, but it was an interesting restaurant concept.

Note: I do not like onions and so banish them from most recipes unless I think I can get away with shallots OR the onions end up being pureed and therefore unrecognizable. My family, however, loves onions, so I usually chop up a bunch and include them with the other condiments on the table.

Ingredients
1 tbsp. oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 cups of tomato sauce
15 oz. can of corn
19 oz. can black beans (about 2 cups)
19 oz. can red kidney beans (about 2 cups)
1 tsp. cumin
chili powder to taste
fresh cilantro, chopped

Saute garlic (and chopped onion if desired) until soft, then add cumin and chili powder. Add approx. 1/3 of the black and red beans to the pan and mash them up into the spices with a potato masher. It will look like refried beans. Add remaining beans, the corn and the tomato sauce. The amount of sauce you use will depend on how thick you want the chili to be.

Simmer for 30 minutes, adding chopped cilantro 5 minutes before cooking ends. Add salt to taste. The chili may be served with the following: grated cheddar cheese, chopped onions, tabasco sauce. Fresh-baked Corn bread is an excellent accompaniment.

Serves 3-4.

The virtuous among you may wish to use dried beans (soaked and cooked). Fresh chilis or other hot peppers may be sauteed along with garlic/onions.

Buen provecho!