Anticiplate

Never, in the history of my MANY Nutcrackers with Pacific Northwest Ballet, has a show ever been cancelled. Until yesterday. Yes! Seattle has 8 inches of snow. Therefore, the city shuts down. 

I am from the East Coast, so this “armageddon-like” attitude about snow just makes me laugh, but I did not complain when I got an email from my boss yesterday morning saying that we were not doing the 1pm Matinee performance. 

Erik took it upon himself to give me my afternoon plans now that my show was cancelled. He wanted me to bake (pumpkin bread and zucchini bread) and make my classic chili and cornbread. This chili was one of the first successful dishes that I ever made when I first learned how to cook, and a really interesting tidbit it is that Erik adores this chili, even though it is meat-free. 

Also, the best part about this chili is the not so “secret” ingredient: Chocolate. It pairs well with the chili powder adding an extra dimension of richness, and depth of flavor. Also, the best way to make this dish is to use 3 different kinds of beans. It makes the chili beautiful in color. 

What have you been doing on your snow days? 

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Serves 4-6 

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 large onions, coarsely chopped

1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 fresh jalepeno chili, minced (with the seeds if you like it spicy)

1 tbsp. chile powder

1 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. kosher salt

28 oz. can whole tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with juice

2 zucchinis, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

3 15 oz cans of beans, rinsed (Kidney, Black, Great Northern, Garbanzo)

1 1/2 c. chicken stock, plus more for thinning

1 tbsp. chopped semi-sweet chocolate

1/4 c. fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Heat olive oil over medium-heat in a large soup pot. Saute onions, peppers, garlic, and jalepeno, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes. 

Add in chili powder, cumin, and salt and cook for 1 minute, stirring to toast the spices. Add in the tomatoes, zucchini, and chicken stock and simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Stir in beans and chocolate, and simmer for 10 minutes. Thin out the chili with more chicken stock if you prefer. Stir in cilantro. Let sit 10 minutes, and serve.