Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book (35 page)

Heat a grill to medium-high heat. Lightly brush all the vegetables with EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 4 minutes on each side, or until marked and tender, with the lid down; remove to a platter.

Heat the remaining EVOO, a couple of tablespoons, in a medium pot over medium to medium-high heat. Add the garlic and jalapeños and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, add the beans to heat through, and begin chopping the grilled vegetables into ½-inch dice, adding them to the pot as you work. Season the vegetables with the chili powder, paprika, and salt and pepper. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the beer and reduce for 30 seconds, then stir in the stock and simmer the chili for a few minutes. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Serve with the crushed chips and some cheese on top. Garnish with the scallions.

This chili is so smoky, hearty, and spicy that even the carnivores will forget there's no meat in it. This recipe has cojones—no bull.

SERVES 6 TO 8

Preheat the broiler to high.

Char the poblanos under the broiler to blacken their skins evenly all over, 12 to 15 minutes, turning as needed. Keep the oven door cracked so you do not give yourself a poblano facial each time you open the door and release the hot steam. Place the charred poblanos in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand for 10 minutes. Once the peppers have cooled enough to handle, peel and seed them, then coarsely chop and reserve.

Heat the EVOO in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the jalapeños, onions, and garlic to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir the beer into the pot, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Boil the beer until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes, then add 1 can of black beans. Mash them into the onions with a potato masher or wooden spoon, then stir in the second can of beans, leaving them whole. Add the chopped poblanos to the chili and season with the chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and allspice. Stir in the tomatoes and stock. Bring the chili up to a bubble, add salt to taste, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the chili for 8 to 10 minutes to thicken. Squeeze in the lime juice and remove the chili from the heat.

Pass your choice of hot sauce, sour cream, cilantro, scallions, tortilla chips, and cheese at the table to top the chili.

Sloppy Veg-Head Joe

Over the last several years I've probably typed up and taught dozens of takes on the American classic, good ole sloppy Joes. I am stupefied that it took me this long to come up with a meat-free buddy. Here ya go, meet Sloppy Veg-head Joe.

SERVES 4

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. To the hot oil, add the jalapeños, bell peppers, onions, and garlic and cook until tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Fold in the black beans, cumin, and coriander and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, brown sugar, and Worcestershire or vinegar and simmer the mixture for a few minutes to combine the flavors. Squeeze the lime juice into the pan and stir. Serve the joe mixture on buns with chopped pickles and cilantro to top and a couple of chips or a green salad alongside.

For veg-heads, attending a cookout usually spells a meal of potato and macaroni salads. This is a hearty GIANT sammie filled with grill flavor. It is a vegetarian version of an Italian meat sammie topped with olive salad. This loaf of bread stuffed with a garden of charred vegetables will really please a meat eater or a meat free-er alike.

SERVES 4

Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Lightly brush the vegetables with EVOO and season with salt and pepper, then grill until marked and tender, 3 to 4 minutes on each side (if using a grill, keep the lid down). Reserve 3 to 4 tablespoons EVOO for the pesto.

Place the spinach in a food processor with the nuts and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the Parmigiano and stock and turn on the processor; drizzle in 3 to 4 tablespoons of the EVOO to form the pesto. Adjust the seasoning and transfer to a bowl.

Rinse the processor bowl and return it to its base. Pulse-chop the giardiniera and olives into a relish.

Cut the top off the bread and scoop out the insides. Spread half the pesto on the bottom of the loaf, pile in half of the grilled vegetables, pour on the remaining pesto, fill the loaf with the rest of the vegetables, and top with the provolone. Spread the underside of the top of the bread loaf with the relish and set into place; press down to set the ingredients. Cut into wedges and serve.