I think the main thing would be to use a mixture of small firm potatoes and starchy baking potatoes, so the potato starch would thicken the soup without recourse to cornmeal-- maybe 1 medium russet and 3 little waxy potatoes?
Once you've made that change, any other reasonably flavorful vegetable could stand in for the sweet corn-- anything that can stand up to slow-cooking and would taste good in chili would be good here. A sweet potato, or some roma tomatoes, or a handful or pink or black beans (maybe with a bit of orange zest or epazote). Or okra, which would also act as a thickener. Or possibly some green olives.
Or you could add in a couple of handfuls of torn-up greens, at the same time you add the chicken: lamb's quarters, chard, spinach, or even a tougher green like lacinato kale or collards, if you'd blanched them ahead of time.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2011-01-13 02:19 am (UTC)Once you've made that change, any other reasonably flavorful vegetable could stand in for the sweet corn-- anything that can stand up to slow-cooking and would taste good in chili would be good here. A sweet potato, or some roma tomatoes, or a handful or pink or black beans (maybe with a bit of orange zest or epazote). Or okra, which would also act as a thickener. Or possibly some green olives.
Or you could add in a couple of handfuls of torn-up greens, at the same time you add the chicken: lamb's quarters, chard, spinach, or even a tougher green like lacinato kale or collards, if you'd blanched them ahead of time.