Sweet Potato and Barley Chili

I was very skeptical about this recipe, but very intrigued. I had never had tomatillos before and was somewhat put-off by the idea of sweet potatoes and spicy stuff together. However, it is delicious and there are plenty of leftovers for me and Mike to eat. Hooray. I serve this with crusty pumpernickel bread from the Shaw's bakery that I stuck in the oven for a few minutes. I will definitely make this again at some point, especially as it gets colder. Oh, and I used regular sweet potatoes, not boniatos.

Sweet Potato and Barley Chili
If you don't much like beans or lentils, this is the chili for you. Boniatos are white-fleshed sweet potatoes; they are less sweet and somewhat drier than orange sweet potatoes. Now grown in Florida as well as Central America, boniatos are sold in Latin American markets and some supermarkets, as are chipotle peppers. If you can't find boniatos, orange sweet potatoes will do fine.
1/2 cup dried pearled or hulled barley
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 cups (about 12) chopped husked tomatillos
2 green bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch squares
1 large boniato or 2 small sweet potatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 cups water or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 chipotle peppers, dried or canned in adobo sauce
fresh-ground black pepper to taste
4 tablespoons sour cream (optional) [As always, I left this out]
1) Bring the barley and 1 1/2 cups lightly salted water to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer the barley, covered, for 1 hour. Drain the barley, if any water remains. [My barley cooked faster than an hour--more like 45 minutes]
2) In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until they brown at the edges. Add the garlic, cumin, and chili powder. Cook for 3 minute smore, stirring frequently.
3) Add the tomatillos, bell peppers, boniato or sweet potatoes, water or stock, and salt. Chop the chipotle pepper(s) if they are canned; keep them whole if they are dried. Add them to the chili. Let the chili simmer for 25 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
4) Remove the chipotle(s) if they were dried. Seed them, chop them fine, and return them to the chili (add the seeds if you want more heat). Add the black pepper and the barley. Stir well, taste, and adjust the seasonings. Serve the chili in bowls, with dollops of sour cream on top, if you like.
Serves four.
Oh, from Vegetarian Planet again. I can't help it--this book has so many great recipes! But the next thing I cook will be fom Cooking Light, I believe.