Soften the vegetables: Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, carrots, celery, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion turns translucent and the carrots have lost their raw crunch.

Bloom the spices: Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano. Keep stirring for 1 minute, until the whole pot smells strongly of toasted spice. This is what keeps the chili from tasting dusty.

Add everything else: Pour in the tomatoes with their juices, the black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, corn, vegetable broth, and the bay leaf. Stir well and bring it up to a gentle simmer.

Simmer 30 minutes: Cook uncovered at a lazy bubble for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until the liquid reduces and the chili looks glossy instead of soupy. Fish out the bay leaf.

Thicken it: Turn off the heat. Mash about 1 1/2 cups of the chili against the side of the pot with a potato masher, or pulse an immersion blender in the pot 3 or 4 times, then stir it back through. The pot goes from brothy to thick in about twenty seconds.

Finish and serve: Stir in the lime juice, the cilantro, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, then taste and add more salt if it needs it. Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheddar, sour cream, sliced avocado, and tortilla chips.