Well this is just delicious; we love bean chillies anyhow but this is a particularly good one. We are not vegan and so served this with sour cream. We’ve included the instructions for a vegan crème fraîche below if you prefer.
Wine Suggestion: For some reason we gravitate to American (both North & South) reds when eating chillies, and with the Wines of Argentina tasting in Dublin yesterday it was natural we’d open a Malbec. A star of the show, and definitely by no means the most expensive, the Altosur Malbec by Finca Sophenia in Gualtallary, Mendoza was our choice. And it seems like Decanter agrees with our choice too – Best in Show and Best Value in their World Wine Awards just announced. Bravo Finca Sophenia and perfect for our chilli.
Vegan chilli – serves 4-6
- 4 sweet potatoes, skins scrubbed
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil, plus a bit extra to rub on the potatoes
- 100g broccoli florets
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- 1 large clove of garlic, grated or finely chopped
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 2 x tins chopped tomatoes
- 400g tin chickpeas, drianed and rinsed
- 100g fresh, frozen or tinned sweetcorn kernels
- 400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed
- 400g tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- sour cream or crème fraîche (or make the vegan crème fraîche below)
IF YOU WANT VEGAN CRÈME FRAÎCHE:
- 65g cashews soaked in 120ml water for 30 minutes, then drained
- juice of ½ lemon
TO SERVE:
- 75g edamame beans
- 1 avocado, chopped
- lime wedges
Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C.
Rub the sweet potatoes with a little bit of vegetable oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper, then bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or until tender.
Steam the broccoli until tender, then set aside.
If you want to make the vegan crème fraîche, put the soaked and drained cashews in a blender with the lemon juice. Season with salt and blitz to a cream.
Heat the oil in a large, deep pan, over a medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and spices and cook for a few minute or until softened. Add the red pepper and tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the chickpeas, sweetcorn, black beans and kidney beans. Season with salt and simmer for 10-15 minutes. If it starts to look dry, you can add a splash of water.
Add the steamed broccoli and mix to warm through.
Trim the ends off the sweet potatoes and cut them in half but not the whole way through. Spoon the chilli into the potatoes and top with some edamame beans and sour cream or crème fraîche, then serve with the avocado and lime wedges.
(Original recipe from Rick Stein at Home, BBC Books, 2021.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 