It has been so long since my last post!  Sometimes, life just gets in the way of what we really love to do–like cook!  I swear, over the course of the last 3 months, I may have eaten at most 5 meals at home.  When I fall off of the cooking bandwagon, I fall off hard.  But with the new year starting, I figured it was a great time to get back in the kitchen.

It’s winter in Denver (although you wouldn’t know it by looking outside), and that means I start craving soups, stews, and comfort food.  One of the delights of living in Colorado is our famed green chili.  If you have never been here, the idea may seem foreign.  I had no idea what to expect when I first heard of it, but here in Colorado we go nuts for this stuff.   I’m not even kidding, we have lists for the top spots in Denver to get green chili, and often have heated arguments about our personal favorites.

Green chili is not really chili in the traditional sense, nor is it green tomatillo salsa (that was I thought it was before trying it).  It really falls somewhere in between stew, gravy, and sauce.  Here in Denver, we cover our eggs with it, eat it by the bowl-full, and dip tortilla chips in it (just to name a few uses).

We have many restaurants that claim to have the best green chili in town, but more often than not, they are made with chicken or pork.  As an avid green chili eater, I either have to suck up my vegetarian pride and *try* to pick around the meat, or I have to pass.  So instead of struggling with my conscious, I decided to try to make my own vegetarian green chili.  Adapted from a Sam’s No. 3 recipe, here it goes!

Vegetarian Colorado Green Chili

• 15 Anaheim or Hatch chili peppers
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 white onion
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• 2 teaspoons of ground dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 14.4 ounce can of diced tomatoes
• 1-3 jalapenos (optional for heat)
• 4 cups of water
• 4 cups of vegetable stock
• 3 tablespoons of flour

Here in Denver, we have road-side stands roasting Hatch green chilies by the basket-full.  If you live in an area where that is not an option, or if you are making this dish outside of chili season (like I am), you will need to roast off your peppers.   Heat your propane grill to high heat, toss the peppers in olive oil, and throw them on the grill, turning occasionally.  I did my peppers in two batches and cooked them for about 15 minutes for each batch, or until they were blistered and charred on all sides.  Take them off of the grill and place them in an airtight container for 15 minutes, or until they have had enough time to cool.

Now, this is hand’s down the worse part, you need to peel away the blistered, blackened skin, cut off the tops of the peppers, and take out the seeds.  Imagine carving a pumpkin, only slightly slimier.

While you are cursing under your breathe and preparing your peppers, heat a large stock pot on medium heat.  Melt half a stick of butter and start to cook your diced onions.  Add all of the seasonings, and cook your onions for about 10 minutes.  Once they are translucent, add your diced tomatoes, canned tomatoes, chopped up roasted chili peppers, and however many jalapenos you want to add for spice (I LOVE spice and added 1.5 jalapenos…it was pretty spicy).

Cook that down for 10 additional minutes.  Then, add the water and the vegetable stock.  Bring the chili to a simmer.  Depending on how you like your chili, you can blend it slightly, blend it until smooth, or keep it chunky.  I used my stick blender and pulsed a couple of times so it wasn’t so chunky.  The longer you keep the chili simmering, the better it will be!

Before Blending

After Blending

While the chili is simmering, start a roux in a different pan.  Add the second half of the stick of butter and melt completely over medium heat.  Add the flour, then start to whisk together.  Once combined, remove from heat.  Depending on how you like the consistency of your chili, add one tablespoon at a time of the roux, stirring the chili vigorously in between each addition to make sure it is incorporated.

Once you reach the consistency you desire, you are done!  I like to serve mine with a couple of warm flour tortillas for dipping, and top it with a handful of cheddar cheese.  Enjoy!