Chili with Hidden Zucchini

It’s official.  The Attack of the Zucchinis continues.  They are stacking up like cordwood.  Gardening neighbors are getting that frantic look in their eyes, and you’re beginning to stay indoors more than normal, using the excuse that it’s too hot to go outside.  There is only one solution:  You’re going to have to try hiding them.

At the same time, you want your kids to eat more vegetables, right?  Hmmmm….  Could there possibly be a connection point, here?

I never knew it as a kid, but it was years later I discovered that I had been deceived by my own mother’s “Golden Mashed Potatoes.”  They were actually potatoes with mashed carrots hidden in them!  Rofo Mom has started making “Faux-Tatoes” with cauliflower, and thinks nothing of the con that she is perpetrating on her unsuspecting children.  (She later confessed.)  My friend, Marge, told me about one of her clients who sneaks zucchini into anything tomato-based, as her husband will only eat green beans and corn…knowingly.  So it’s not just to trick children into eating more veggies.  But I ask you, can this be any basis on which to build a marriage?

Why not?  What else are you going to do with those zucchinis?

Chili seemed like a good option to me for a subversive attempt.  I figured that between the spices and the tomatoes, the zucchini would just…disappear.  I was right.

Here is my chili recipe with a little something “extra.”  For suggestions for freezing zucchini for winter use, see the end of this post.

CHILI WITH HIDDEN ZUCCHINI
(Click on any image to enlarge)

Ingredients:

1 to 1½ lbs. ground beef (80% lean)

½ green bell pepper, chopped

2 medium onions, chopped

6 plum tomatoes, chopped or 1 can diced tomatoes

2½ cups shredded zucchini

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

1 (15 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

3 Tablespoons paprika

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

2 Tablespoons dried oregano

½ teaspoon red or cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 can pinto beans*

1 can black beans*

Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

Serving suggestions:  Serve over rice or mashed potatoes; top with shredded cheese.

Directions:

Prepare the green pepper and onions by chopping.  Brown the ground beef and sauté the green pepper and onion all at the same time.

While they are cooking, prepare the plum tomatoes by cutting off the tops, halving them, removing the center core and the seeds, and chopping them, (or just use a can of diced tomatoes.)

Before adding the chopped tomatoes, drain any fat from the ground beef mixture.  (Remember my “trick” for doing this when using an electric frying pan.)  Reduce heat when onion and pepper begin to get tender.

Next, remove about half of the skin from a medium-sized zucchini using a vegetable peeler.  Shred the zucchini using a hand or box grater.  You may want to halve or quarter the zucchini length-wise so that the shredded pieces aren’t too long.  That could tip your hand!

Add the shredded zucchini to the beef mixture and continue to sauté, allowing the liquid coming from the zucchini to mostly cook off.

Incorporate the zucchini into the meat mixture, distributing it evenly to both allow it to cook as well as vanish.

Add all spices and stir thoroughly.  Two tablespoons of oregano seems like a lot, but it too...disappears.  The ground cumin is critical for that chili flavor and aroma.  (The zucchini is already starting to disappear!)

Next, add the tomato paste and incorporate it until it is well distributed.   Add the crushed tomatoes and stir until well blended.  Add salt (about ½ teaspoon) and ground black pepper (about ¼ teaspoon, or more), to taste.

*Many people do not want beans in their chili.  If that’s the case for you, you can stop here, but plan on adding a little more crushed tomatoes or some chicken or beef broth.

The title picture for this post was taken before the beans
were added.  Here is the chili with black & pinto beans,
but where is the zucchini?

If you like chili with beans, add 1 undrained can each of pinto beans and black beans.  Simmer until thoroughly heated and the desired consistency is attained.  Add more crushed tomatoes (or broth or water), if too thick; add instant mashed potatoes (or more shredded zucchini), if too thin.

The final result had a smooth texture and was very filling.  It seemed to need a little more salt than normal, but that could have been my imagination.  I grated the whole diameter of the zucchini.  As a result, there were some strands of zucchini hanging from my spoon.  They could have been mistaken for pieces of onion, but take my advice and grate the zucchini finer by quartering it length-wise.  Otherwise, you could get caught!

This chili is what I would call “medium hot.”  That means that you’ll still have a tingle on your lips when you’re finished eating.  That would gain the approval of my family, but you’ll want to adjust the amount of cayenne pepper to match your family’s level of tolerance.

FREEZING ZUCCHINI

Amy Renninger Hellauer, (of the Renninger's Farm Renningers), offered several suggestions for freezing zucchini that she found in the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving.  The zucchini should not be peeled.  The procedure is pretty simple and straightforward:  wash, slice (1/4" to 1/2" thick), blanch for 3 minutes, drain, cool, bag, seal, label, and freeze.  If you've never blanched anything before, that means plunging the fruit/vegetables into boiling water for the specified time and then plunging the produce into an ice bath to immediately stop the cooking.  Blanching as a method of cooking that preserves the color and crunch of the vegetables.  When freezing produce, blanching halts the ripening enzymes so that the fruit or vegetables can be kept longer, even in the freezer.  Know that most frozen vegetables and fruit will not be crunchy when thawed after being frozen.  They are therefore better used in stews, soups or other cooked foods, (as opposed to trying to serve them raw).

If you wish to freeze shredded zucchini for recipes like the chili in this post, you should use steam blanching.  Use either a saucepan that comes with a steaming insert or use a steaming basket that fits into one of your pans.  (I described steaming equipment in a past post that included a recipe for glazed carrots.)  Place the shredded zucchini in the steaming basket, just covering the bottom.  Steam for 1 to 2 minutes, until the zucchini turns translucent.  Allow the zucchini to cool before placing in freezer bags.  You can also place the zucchini in bags and immerse the bags in ice water to cool them.  Not cooling the zucchini will result in it clumping together when frozen.  Zucchini will keep 8-12 months in the freezer.  Stay tuned for a future post on freezing other vegetables and fruit.