I was cruising the rot rack at Town & Country (that’s the spot in the back where they put deeply discounted food that’s about to go bad) when I found a flat of tomatoes for $2.99.
The thing about food on the rot rack is that you have to use it quickly, so my plans of a leisurely Sunday were quickly supplanted by an afternoon and evening of cooking. It was worth it, though. We are restocked on enough tomato products to hold us over until we can grow our own.
Cashew Chili Recipe
Ingredients
2 TBL olive oil
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 green or red pepper coarsely chopped
2 celery stalks coarsely chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced
1- 28oz can tomatoes w/ juice, tomatoes halved
1- 15oz can kidney beans rinsed/drained
1- 15oz can chickpeas rinsed/drained
1- 15oz can tomato sauce
1 cup of water
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 tsp chili powder, or to taste
1/2 tsp of Tabasco sauce, or to taste
1 tsp cumin
1 TBL minced fresh oregano or 1tsp dried basil
1 TBL minced fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp of freshly ground pepper or to taste
1 cup whole organic raw cashews
1 cup dark organic raisins
Directions
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 8 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes with juice, beans, tomato sauce, water, corn, chili powder, Tabasco sauce, cumin, oregano, and dried basil (if using), bay leaf, and pepper. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
Stir in the cashews and raisins; continue to simmer, covered, until the raisins are plump and the cashews are tender, about 20 minutes. During the last 5 minutes, stir in fresh basil (if using). Remove bay leaf. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
