Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Chili...the many possibilities

Many people claim to have a "famous" chili that always gets "rave reviews", when in reality it's nothing more than meat slopped together with a can of pre-seasoned chili beans and a package of McCormicks chili seasoning. Not exactly something that sounds appealing, even if you decide to try and mask the horrible flavors with buckets of onions, cheese and sour cream. In fact, when I was in the military we often had chili cook offs and one year somebody won first place with by dumping a can of Hormel chili into a pot. Shameful.

Chili can be more than just meat and beans. The ingredients you can add and flavor combinations you can come up with with are nearly endless. Chili doesn't always have to be on french fries or a hot dog. Put chili over white rice, on a burger, or with your favorite egg dish.

I came up with a chili recipe the other day that went over pretty well, if you're looking for something different than your average chili, give it a shot.

Chili Recipe:

- 2lbs ground beef
- 2 28oz cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 15oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 15oz can pinto beans
- 1 15oz can red kidney beans
- 4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion
- 1 large bell pepper
- 2 small jalapenos
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp cumin powder
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tsp red cayenne pepper
- salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

The key to making any recipe easy, regardless of the laundry list of ingredients, is to prep everything before you start cooking and get everything ready and in one place or "mise en place".

First peel and chop your onion and set it aside. Next de-seed and finely chop your bell pepper and set it aside. Now peel and finely mince your garlic cloves and set them aside. Now de-seed and finely chop your jalapenos and set these aside.  Look at that, all the hard work is done!

Now drain your cans of beans and give them a whazz with a food processor or hand blender untill you have a nice smooth paste and set this aside. Open all your cans of tomatoes and set them aside. Now measure out your cumin, chili powder and oregano and mix it all together and set this aside as well. Now its time to cook!

Brown your hamburger in the pot you decide to make your chili in, drain it and set it aside. Now add your olive oil to the pot and bring it to heat. Once hot, add your onions and brown them over a medium heat. Once they begin to turn brown and translucent add your bell pepper and season with a large pinch of salt and pepper and stir for about 2-3 minutes. Next add your garlic and jalapenos and stir for just about 30 seconds. Now add your hamburger meat, bean paste and half of your mixed chili seasoning and stir untill fragrant, about 1 minute. Next add all of your tomatoes, the rest of your chili seasonings, the 6 tbsp of brown sugar, 1 tsp of cayenne pepper and another large pinch of salt and pepper. Stir well to mix everything together then simmer on low for 30 minutes and voila, chili! I know it sounds like alot of work, but really this can all be done in 30 minutes, excluding the 30 minute simmer time.

Enjoy the recipe and eat well!

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