Y'all it's below 70 degrees and the leaves (the few we have in NYC..) are changing and you know what that means!! soup season!!
Ya girl is thriving! If I could stay in perpetual fall, I would. It's only October 7th and I have made 7 soups which may seem excessive but it is not. Don't judge me. For this fall season, I am heavily leaning into chili. (Is chili soup or its own category? I had to search if chili was classified as soup.. comments and arguments are welcomed in the comment section)
Personally, I believe chili is wildly underrated. It's cheap, easy, nutritious, cozy, and can last you a whole week of prepped food. It's the only dish my dad can cook, but damn he can cook it well. I have been a chili converter since my early days in college. In my food systems research, I discovered how great this dish is in all realms of affordability, prep time, nutrition, food waste, and accessibility. If you have a big family and don't have all the time in the world to make dinner and want to stretch your buck, chili baby!!!! It is always the answer. It is also great if you have veggies about to go bad and don't know what to do with them. Throw all that shit in a pot, add some protein, some sauce, some spice, some sour cream, and boom done. What a magical dish. If you're interested, ill give you some tips on how to make a bangin' chili. If you're not, BYEEE!
Alright, chili lovers let's get into these beans.
First step, if you are a meat lover, I recommend ground turkey. Add that to your large pot and cook it up. After it's cooked take it out and add it back in later with the spices. Now, the most crucial step. We are gunna toast some spices. This opens so many flavors and gets a nice smoky flavor that is essential for chili. Here are some spices I use and measure with my heart: cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, chili powder, cayenne, and thyme. It's good to season from the
beginning so these flavors infuse into the dish. So toast up your spices until they become fragrant, add a little oil then add your soup trilogy. AKA onions, celery, and carrot. The soup trilogy (that's my name for it, it's actually called Mirepoix) is to create some great aromatics in the dish and make a really deep flavor, especially in soups and stews.
Go in with your garlic and any veggies you want to add. I recommend peppers, zucchini, corn, beans, jalapenos, anything your heart desires. Once everything is cooked, add in your turkey, a can of tomato sauce, and about 2 cups of some water or broth, most of the liquid will cook off in time.
Okay at this point I would want to taste my chili to see how my spices are complementing each other, right? WRONG. Cover that shit up, wait 20 min at a low simmer, have some self-restraint, and let the magic happen. The flavors need time to come together and you could easily oversalt or over-spice your chili. Like everything in life, good things take time.
After trying really hard to distract yourself from the amazing smells coming from your kitchen, taste your beautiful creation. Then alter the spices to how you desire. If something is still missing and you don't know what, my secret ingredient is a splash of soy sauce. It adds a little saltiness and smokiness and it weirdly balances out the whole dish. Once I did this for the first time, I will never not add soy sauce to my chili. Just trust me!!!! I can feel the uneasiness in you from here, loosen up!
Another tip: tomato sauce can be very acidic, if your chili tastes too harsh on your tongue add some sugar to cut the acidity.
PSA to my gassy peeps! (I am one of them) if you add 2 teaspoons of cornstarch to dishes with lots of beans it helps you not fart so much! One of the best things I've learned in my 24 years of existence. Our buttholes will thank us later.
Serve over rice to really make that chili last, a dollop of sour cream, and some crunchy chips and scallions!
Shout out to my dad! If you're reading this, send me some chili!!!