In honor of my going to see a taping of “The Chew” (I will in the entry when this post goes up), I made a adaptation of Mario Batali’s Corn Lentil Chili.  

The corn is from Filasky’s Produce, John grows the best corn I have ever tasted!  So, even though I only needed 4 ears for the chili, I bought a dozen so I could freeze the rest for use this winter.  Of course, the kernels from only about 6 of them made it to the freezer, the rest were grabbed up by ‘passersby’ as soon as I cut them off the cobs.

We have a large supply of cumin seeds (why, I do not know, they came with my husband); it is very nice, I grind all my own cumin. But although I had plenty of cumin, I did not have enough brown lentils to make the chili, so I used a mix of brown, red and green.  It added a little more texture since the green stayed firmer than the rest.  I also opted to omit the rice and serve it with dollops of plain yogurt – very nice.

Lentil Corn Chili

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice

6 ribs celery, cut into 1/4 inch dice

2 or 3 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and minced (from the garden) note: I used 2 since I have a few folks who don’t like heat, but I would have liked to have used the third

3 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 ears) (from Filasky’s Produce)

2 Tbsp chili powder

2 Tbsp ground cumin

2 tsp salt

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatos

1 lb lentils, brown or mixed

2 cups water

plain yogurt

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium high heat.  Add te onions, garlic, celery, carrots and peppers.  Cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the corn and cook, stirring until the corn starts to brown around the edges, 6 to 10 minutes.

Add the spices and salt and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the tomatoes, stir well.  Add the lentils and water, stir well and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are cooked, between 20 and 40 minutes. (Mario’s recipe said 20 minutes, but the length of cooking will vary depending upon the type of lentil used, the green lentils took a little longer to cook).  If you cook it longer, you may need to add a little more water.  Adjust the seasoning to taste.

Serve in bowls, topped with dollops of yogurt.  Enjoy.