Carol's Moosewood Vegetarian Chili

This vegetarian chili comes from the Moosewood Cookbook lineage, the bible of 1970s American natural-food cooking. The trick that makes it work where most veggie chilis fail is bulgur wheat. The cracked grain gives the chili a meaty, ground-beef texture that fools even committed carnivores at potlucks.

The bulgur soaks raw in hot tomato juice rather than getting cooked separately. It comes out crunchy, which sounds wrong but isn’t. The grain finishes cooking in the chili, absorbing more liquid and flavor as it goes. Pre-cooking the bulgur turns it into mush.

Dried kidney beans are worth the extra effort over canned. The bean cooking liquid becomes part of the chili’s broth, and dried beans hold their texture during the long simmer where canned beans tend to break down. Soak the night before or do the quick soak with boiling water if you’re short on time.

A splash of red wine and lemon juice at the end is what separates this from a generic bean stew. The wine adds depth, the lemon brightens the heavy spices, and together they round out the flavor in a way that pure tomato can’t.

Pro Tips

• Bloom the chili powder and cumin in the hot oil with the onions for 30 seconds before adding other vegetables. It deepens the spice flavor dramatically.
• This chili tastes better on day two. Make ahead and reheat gently if you can.
• Use the bean cooking liquid (not water) to thin the chili if it gets too thick. Tossing all that flavor would be a waste.
• Top with shredded sharp cheddar, sour cream, and chopped scallions for the full Moosewood treatment.

Variations

• Add 1 cup of sauteed mushrooms for additional umami depth, especially if serving to non-vegetarians.
• Stir in a 15-ounce can of black beans along with the kidney beans for a two-bean version.
• Use quinoa in place of bulgur for a gluten-free version with similar texture.