chili

Best Damn Chili, Ever. Seriously, So Good You’ll Make More!

As anyone who knows me will tell you I hate Fall. The reasons are obvious: leaves fall off trees, the world turns brown, I have to start wearing socks and sweatshirts, and the world is inundated with all things brown, gold, orange and PUMPKIN. Yes, cinnamon is awesome but come on people, do we have to put it in EVERYTHING? I’m a black coffee drinker, the thought of bastardizing my coffee with sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin is ludicrous. This year has been especially bad for me and I’m uncertain why that is the case. I get mad every time I see a pumpkin, jack-o-lantern or anything slightly “fall-like”. I may need professional assistance.

Anywho … there are a few good things about this time of year. One, my daisies bloom and since they are the happiest of flowers I get a few moments of pure joy just seeing them. Two: Honeycrisp apples are in season and they are like candy so I eat as many as freaking possible. And three: Soup is on the menu regularly. My husband is not a huge fan of soup unless it’s mostly meat. I prefer mine with little or no meat but I cater to his palate because, well, I love him and want to make him happy. Geezsh, what’s the world coming to?

FallDaisyRMJW

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HoneyCrisp Apples

Chili

Random photo of chili. I did not make this bowl. Mine was prettier and tastier … I just didn’t take a picture of it because it tasted too good to stop and take a pic.

So soup. I make a few and usually I’m not a huge fan of chili. It’s usually too meaty or beanie or chili-y. A few bites do and then I’m done. But last weekend I made some so good we couldn’t stop eating it and I’ve decided to make another batch this weekend and post the recipe here to share the love. I blame it on the beer and chocolate. RIGHT?

If you make this chili the way I have, you will be amazed. I could win a contest with this stuff I’m sure! So, here goes: write this down, print this out and do it. You won’t be sorry.

Chili a’laRachel – aka Chocolate Bourbon Chili

Ingredients:

1 lb. – lean ground beef
1 lb. – ground pork
1 – medium onion, chopped
3 – small to medium sized garlic cloves, minced
2-4  cups – beef broth
1 cup – dark beer I used this stuff and WOW it’s good!

So good!

So good!

2 – fresh chili peppers (I used jalapeño peppers grown on my patio), minced
2 cans – diced tomatoes
2 cans – kidney beans
1 tsp – ground cumin
1 tsp – grown coriander
2 tbs – cocoa powder
2 tbs – paprika
2 tbs – chili powder (I used 2-Alarm)
1 tbs – masa powder (from 2-Alarm box)*
1 tsp – ancho chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

How to do this:

Get out your big dutch oven or soup cooking pan. Brown the pork then drain off the fat. Brown onions, peppers and ground beef in a bit of the remaining pork fat, throwing in the garlic at the end of browning process so it doesn’t get bitter. Add the dry spices and let it all kind of cook together so the aromas start to come out. Clear a space in the dutch oven and pour in the beer, letting it bubble off the alcohol a bit, then add the tomatoes, beans, and beef broth (as much as you like depending upon how soupy you want it). Let this stuff cook for NO LESS than an hour.

Now my peppers were pretty spicy. Depending upon your tastes, adjust accordingly. I like to sweat a little bit when I eat chili. Garnish with your favorites. I like cilantro and lime chili tortilla chips with a HUGE helping of pepper/jack cheese and sour cream. Do what you like and please let me know if you make this chili and what you think of it.

Note: I like the 2-Alarm Chili mix because it has no artificial ingredients or chemicals to keep it from clumping together. Real food is good food!

When the husband is away …

… I eat soup. He doesn’t understand soup. To him it’s just broth with too many vegetables and not enough meat. For me, soup is warmth, comfort and a healthy way to eat. Oh sure, there are unhealthy soups but I tend to make broth-based soups not creamy ones. Yesterday it was raining and cold so I broke out the stock left over from the baked chicken from last week. It took all day to make, which wasn’t exactly necessary but I wasn’t in a hurry and it seemed the prudent way to do it. The end result was a spicy Chicken Chili. Mmmm.

Spicy Chicken Chili

I’m excited about this particular batch of soup because I grew the tomatoes that went into it and I finally figured out how to use dried beans instead of canned. In fact, all of the ingredients were fresh in this and it is so very good!  The other tasty treat I made yesterday was a cheese crisp. I have been searching for a cracker recipe and finally found a cheesy recipe that sounded good. I used whole wheat flour and two different cheeses for a salty and crunchy cracker. Yum!

Here’s how I did the soup. First the ingredients:

2 tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper (roasted and diced)
2 carrots, chopped
14 oz diced tomatoes
2 medium jalapeño peppers, minced
2 large stalks of celery, chopped
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup dried white beans
1 bone in chicken breast
4-5 bone in chicken drumsticks (legs)
2 tbsp taco seasoning
2 tsp chipotle chili pepper
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste

First things first: get your beans soaking. (see instructions above or read package instructions) OR use canned, there’s no rule here. Except remember the best rule of cooking: FRESH IS BEST!

1. In a large dutch oven (or soup pot) heat olive oil on medium.
2. Add chopped onions, carrots, celery, jalapeño peppers and cook until translucent.(apps. 10 min)
3. Add minced garlic and roasted bell pepper, cook until fragrant (appx. 30 seconds)
4. Add tomatoes, spices (cumin, chili, taco seasoning, paprika) and chicken stock stirring until spices are well mixed.
5. Add chicken pieces, cover and cook for 30-40 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside to cool.
6. By now your beans should be par-cooked so throw them into the soup and cover. Let cook at a rolling simmer for another hour. Taste to see if you need salt and the “doneness” of the beans.
7. Once the beans are done, shred your chicken and add back to the soup and let simmer on low for another 30 minutes to hour.
8. Taste. Season accordingly.

Serve with Avocado, fresh cilantro and a dollop of sour cream.