Chickpea-Tomatillo Chili

This bright, versatile stew of chickpeas and fresh tomatillos is my interpretation of one of my favorite regional restaurant dishes: the Chickpea Chili at Mad Mex, in Pittsburgh, PA. If you ever visit Pittsburgh, do try the original. And in the meantime, enjoy this easy and adaptable version at home! There is lots of room to customize this recipe exactly to your taste - add some chiles if you like heat, a little toasted cumin for an extra zing, try different proteins or cooking liquids - just have fun! In my memories, the taste of this simple version hews closest to home.

Ilona @ilonainthekitchen

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Ingredients

1 hr

6 servings

2 Tbneutral oil
1medium yellow onion, finely diced
2-3scallions, white parts only, thinly sliced
2large garlic cloves, minced
2 lbstomatillos, husked and quartered
1small Serrano or other mild green pepper, seeded and diced
3 (14 oz)cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2-3 cupswater, vegetable stock, or chicken stock
Optional for serving: shredded pepper jack cheese, sour cream, sliced scallion greens, cilantro, rice, tortillas, tortilla chips

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Steps

1 hr

1

Heat oil in 6-qt pot or Dutch oven on medium-low. Add onion and scallions. Sweat on low heat until translucent and very soft, stirring often, 8-10 minutes. Do not allow to brown.
2

Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3

Add tomatillos, Serrano, and enough water to cover tomatillos, about 1 - 1 1/2 cups. Increase heat to medium-high and bring liquid to boil, then cover and simmer gently on medium-low heat until tomatillos completely break down, about 20 minutes.
4

Remove pot from heat. Purée tomatillo mixture with immersion blender or in countertop blender.
5

(Optional - strain blended tomatillo mixture through medium mesh strainer to remove seeds.)
6

Return blended tomatillo mixture to pot over medium-high heat.
7

Add chickpeas and another 1 - 1 1/2 cups water. Bring liquid to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and partially cover pot. Simmer until chickpeas are soft and stew reaches desired consistency, adding more water if necessary, about 30 minutes. Season to taste.
8

Serve with any combination of garnishes and accoutrements, or roll into a large tortilla with rice and pepper jack cheese for a Chickpea Chili Burrito.