Now that I’m part of the Meatless Monday team, I’ve learned a few tricks to woo the omnivorous crowd with vegetarian dishes. The best strategy is to play up the savory taste, umami. To bring that sense of richness and depth to this year’s entry, I used roasted eggplant, sautéed mushrooms, smoked paprika and one bottle of stout beer. So did it win? Let’s just say that the recipe was a surprising hit with the crowd. Go ahead and decide if it’s a winning recipe yourself! Serves 6-8. Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant, diced but unpeeled4 tbsp. olive oil, or 2 tbsp. olive oil and 2 tbsp. butter1 large onion, diced2 large Portobello mushrooms, diced2 medium jalapeno peppers, minced2 large cloves garlic, minced3 15 oz. cans dark red kidney beans, drained2 cups strained tomatoes1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes1 bottle dark stout beer1 tbsp. smoked paprikaSalt to taste
What to do:
Preheat the oven to 425F.Lightly oil a baking sheet and spread the eggplant cubes evenly over it. Drizzle with 2 tbsp. olive oil and toss with fingers to lightly coat. Season with salt.Roast eggplant for approximately 30 minutes until edges become golden. Stir every 10 minutes to prevent burning.Meanwhile, sauté onions, mushrooms and jalapenos in a large pot over medium heat in remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil or butter for 10-12 minutes.Add garlic to sauté mixture and cook 1 minute. Increase heat to high and add beer; Stir frequently and allow mixture to reduce, approximately 5 minutes.To the sauté mixture, add kidney beans, both types of tomatoes, paprika and additional salt to taste.Remove eggplant from oven and stir into chili mixture.Simmer 30 minutes longer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, to reduce and further combine flavors.
