When I’m trying out a new recipe, I like to look at a bunch of other recipes to get a sense of what the flavour profile should be. Sometimes, I’ll refer to a recipe as a base, or, I’ll just wing it- which is what I did today.

First step: beans! I had some dry pinto beans soaking for a few hours before I decided to make green chilli. Waiting another 5-6 hours for the beans to soak was out of the question, so I threw them into a large pot with salted water, brought them to a boil, then simmered on medium for just over an hour before draining and rinsing them. While simmering, I prepped my veggies for the chilli:

6 tomatillos, diced
About 1.5 cups of roughly chopped button mushrooms
2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, very finely chopped (I kept the seeds out because I wasn’t looking for heat)
3 cloves of garlic crushed
1 small onion diced
1/2 can of rinsed corn niblets, optional (left over from my corn bread)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

In a large deep pan, over medium heat with 1 tbsp cooking oil add onions until translucent.

Add mushrooms, celery, green pepper. Sauté for a few minutes then add the spice blend:

About 1 tsp each of: cumin, coriander, chilli powder (green chilli powder if you have it, I didn’t), celery salt, oregano

Add 1/4 cup of white wine, let simmer for 5 minutes

Add tomatillos, garlic, jalapeño, corn, 2-3 cups of cooked pinto beans, then 4 cups of water.

Add 2 bay leaves, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Uncover, continue to simmer for another 15-20 minutes allowing most of the liquid to be evaporated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves! Lastly, mix in fresh cilantro before serving.

My version had a lot of flavour, but was definitely a mild chilli. Heck, I don’t think I used any additional salt!! Add more jalapeños or keep the seeds to create a spicier version.