Firstly mastered by my mum, it was then taken on by my dad who grew confident with the task and made it into one of my favourite meals ever. Every time we made it, we always made an excessive amount, providing us with leftovers for almost a week. For dinner, for lunch, even for a sandwich, (don’t knock it until you try it, you just need good French bread), it always provided the perfect amount of comfort.
Cooking has always been a deeply relaxing experience for me because of the rules of it. Following a recipe, cutting things in a particular shape to enhance flavours. Frying the onions with spices to make them fragrant, and leaving the pot to simmer for ages. Waiting for that mix of hearty ingredients to come together in a delicious, homey meal. I always helped my parents and learned how to make our chilli because of this enjoyment I found in cooking.
Cooking has always been a deeply relaxing experience for me
When I came to uni, putting aside the sizable adjustment of moving to a different country, I also started only cooking vegetarian meals in the process of transitioning towards cutting meat and fish out of my diet. This meant that quite a few of my home comfort meals that I thought would get me through the cold weather felt unachievable. Through trial and error, I adapted this childhood recipe of mine to make it vegetarian while still providing the same comfort (and nutrients) by adding beans, lentils and mushrooms.
My vegetarian chilli, complete with an inordinate amount of beans, has now become part of my meal rotation, providing the perfect comfort in a bowl. And whenever I make it, I feel like I am right back home.
