Perhaps you’ve noticed that I’ve been really into writing recipes lately. Well, here’s another, for a scrumptious, silky, smoky eggplant chili. I decided to make eggplants the star of tonight’s dinner when I peeked in the fridge and discovered five of them hanging out and gossipin’ in one drawer! I needed to break that party up.
But why all the written recipes? I was inspired by a recent lunch conversation with The Sweetest Vegan. As she explained how she makes her famous Youtube tutorials, she encouraged me to stop being such a naughty, lazy cook and start keeping record of my creations. She even went so far as to suggest a voice recorder or a camera on a tripod! Since I don’t take kindly to all that, I’ve made more of an effort to write my recipes down either before starting or, more often, while in-progress.
It’s an easy thing to ask of me, just a gentle change to my usual process. After taking stock of what’s in the fridge and puzzling over it briefly, I usually grab my knife and cutting board and start chopping something. Now, I pause, grab my notebook, and jot down notes. Then I cut stuff. When the dishes are put away and it’s time to start blogging, all I have to do is snap a couple pictures of my notes!*
I’m especially proud of tonight’s recipe because I believe it could be served to an eggplant hater with success. (Thinking of you, AwesomeVeganRad!) Because the eggplant is cubed, tossed in seasoning, and fried before being added to the chili, it loses its sharp eggplanty flavor in favor of meltingly-tender smokiness. And frying eggplant makes the house smell like frying vegan bacon, no joke.
Without further adieu, my new favorite:
Cook’s notes: this recipe intentionally lacks beans. At first it was unintentional, as I discovered I’d used up all my home-cooked chickpeas. But as I moved through the process, I realized beans (particularly chickpeas) would likely clash with the otherwise lusciously silky texture. Use them at your own risk.
Don’t shy from using oil in this recipe. The eggplant was fried in about a 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and the onions and peppers, at least 2 tablespoons of organic olive oil. I figure that since eggplant is an extremely low-calorie food, we can get away with it. :)
Finally, a note on spice: while I thought I’d finally managed to spice something mildly, my sweetie found it a bit hot. I’m not sure one measly minced chipotle in such a big pot can do that much damage, but beware. The dominant flavor is smokiness, not spiciness, owing to a triple threat of liquid smoke, paprika, and chipotle.
Some pictures of the process:
The end!
*Important note: posting pictures of recipes works for a lot of folks, but not everyone. If you read my blog with the aid of a screen reader and would like a recipe that is not displayed in text or is poorly formatted, please send me a message at cracktheplates (at) gmail (dot) com and I’ll help you out!