I love a good pot of chili in the winter. It’s a meal in a bowl—protein, fiber, and vegetables. And it’s a meal that everybody in the family likes—that in and of itself is a miracle. Oh, and it's healthy too. But I don’t make the authentic chili with dried ancho chilies and chuck roast because it just takes too darn long. Nope, I like the kind of chili that takes around 30 minutes to make. To me the perfect bowl of quick chili has to have three components—lots of veggies with a tomato base, beans, a good spicy (not necessarily hot) flavor. So after several attempts I think I finally created my perfect chili recipe. Let me know if you try it and like it. This makes a big pot! The pot is this picture is 7 quarts. It’s enough for my family of five to have dinner twice! I love leftovers for lunch during the week.
2-4 T. olive oil
2 chopped onions
1 T. cumin
1 T. chili powder
2 tsp. oregano
2-4 T. olive oil
2 chopped onions
1 T. cumin
1 T. chili powder
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
1 pound ground beef*
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 large can diced tomatoes (28 oz)
2 cans tomato sauce (8oz)
1 tomato sauce can of water
2 can kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
2-3 chopped red and/or yellow bell peppers
½ a bunch of chopped cilantro
1 pound ground beef*
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 large can diced tomatoes (28 oz)
2 cans tomato sauce (8oz)
1 tomato sauce can of water
2 can kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
2-3 chopped red and/or yellow bell peppers
½ a bunch of chopped cilantro
Toppings: pepper jack cheese, sour cream, lime wedges
Good homemade cornbread. (I like Mark Bittman’s from How to Cook Everything)
In a large soup pot or dutch oven heat olive oil. Saute the onions and spices for 2-3 minutes. Spices need to cook in oil to ‘bloom’ them. Don’t skip this step! Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. After the ground beef has browned for 4-5 minutes, add the garlic. Stir until combined. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the onion and bell peppers are soft. Turn off heat and stir in cilantro.
Serve with toppings of your choice and lots of good cornbread.
*To make a chicken chili add 2 cups diced cooked chicken. I like to just shred a rotisserie chicken from Costco.
7 comments:
That chili would look delightful in my new pot. I'm so all over trying this recipe. I will let you know how it goes.
Thanks for perfecting a recipe so lazy cooks like me can just copy what you come up with.
Oh, the enchiladas were perfect. Exactly what my prego appetite was craving. Thanks!
Yummm, Cyn. I am definitely going to try this recipe. The great thing is I think I have all the ingredients in my pantry. Yay!
Oh, one more. I made that chocolate cake recipe from your old blog. SO-oo fabulous. I used a different frosting recipe (Ina's sheet cake frosting- basically a ganache). I was in heaven. I have been completely converted to America's Test Kitchen recipes.
As the husband of a Mexican chef (chef-ess?) and a chili gourmet, may I suggest a link of chorizo added to the ground beef to really spice it up? Try it...you'll like it!
Oooooh, dad. That's a great idea! I never thought of chorizo. Yum!
I made this chili tonight, Cyn. I didn't have bell peppers, and added a can chopped, fire-roasted tomatoes in place of the regular diced tomatoes. I also added a few drops of Tapatio and a few drops of worcestershire. The chili was heaven! We are going to have gringo tacos tomorrow night with the leftovers. (O:
Oh, and I forgot to add that letting the spices "blossom" in the oil makes all the difference in the world as the recipe states. I used a lot less oil than called for (1 tbsp) because I am forever on a diet and wanted to keep it low-fat. I did have to add some water in place of the missing oil but it worked out well that way, too.
After all that, instead of simmering for 20-30 minutes, I poured it all in the crock pot and let it simmer on low for hours to give the spices a chance to fully develop.
A few hours later, Trevor and I went on a nice walk on the trail by our home to take advantage of the warm 43 degree weather, and it was divine to come home from our walk to a nice, hot, crock pot full of homemade chili. Yummmmm!
Made the chili, it was delicious. It reminded me a lot of Ina's chicken chili recipe so of course I loved it.
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