Dad’s (Vegetarian) Chili

Dad’s meat chili was rather legendary around our home growing up.

....then I became a vegetarian in university.

At the next Après Ski party dad modified his recipe and made a batch of each. The vegetarian one was completely devoured by the guests… and now this is the only one he makes!

Ingredients
 4x 28oz cans kidney beans, rinsed & well-drained
4x 19oz. cans black beans, rinsed and well-drained
2x 28oz cans tomatoes, well-drained
4 Tbsp. butter or olive oil
3 Lg Spanish onions, cut in half then sliced 
3 bell peppers; green/yellow/orange/red
5 celery stalks, chopped
1 small can tomato paste
6 Lg cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp chili peppers
5 “good shakes” Worcestershire sauce
chili powder, to taste after mixture has heated up
 
**It’s VERY important to drain tomatoes and beans, well.  There’s enough moisture in everything else. 

Put beans and tomatoes into heavy pot on stove.  (Dad only prepares this on a wood-burning stove... pretty much only lit 1 week each year specifically for this endeavour.)

Sauté onions in oil/butter until soft, add garlic for a minute or two…do not burn…add this along with
tomato paste to tomato mixture.  
Sauté peppers and celery until soft; add to pot.  
Add seasonings.  
Simmer and stir regularly for at least three hours…the longer the better.  
 
Tastes best when cooled completely and reheated… each time it gets a bit better!
 
Serve with a fresh loaf of sourdough bread.