Many folks confuse chili, which has no beans, with chili con carne which has beans. This is my recipe for chili con carne. Feel free to substitute the meat of your choice, heck, I even made it with tofu once. I have used venison, venison sausage and stew meat. A good flavorful venison sausage really adds some zip.
I remember my Mom’s chili, I am afraid while most of her cooking was great (fried chicken, pot roasts, etc) she made mid-western chili which tended to be runny without much substance, we usually added ketchup to add a little kick. She also didn’t do much seasoning other than a touch of chili powder.
Well, after I moved to Arizona I discovered chili that was hearty, thick and full of seasoning. I haven’t looked back. Here is my recipe. It is called Two-Can chili because of the things you get from cans, two cans each are required. However, if you want to substitute fresh ingredients for the canned stuff, feel free!
Equipment:
Large soup pot, I use an 8 quart farberware with lid
Large fry pan, I use a 14 inch Teflon coated model with lid (optional, as an alternative use the large soup pot for everything)
Sharp cutting knife
Cutting board (don’t do it on the counter, might make the wife a bit angry)
Stir spoon (optional, I usually use a spatula)
Spatula that won’t harm the finish on fry pan or Large soup pan if they are coated
Large ladle
Ingredients:
2 – 8 oz cans Hunts tomato sauce
2 – 8 oz cans Hunts Stewed tomatoes (I usually choose those that have garlic and peppers in them)
2 – 4 oz cans Hunts tomato paste
2 - 8 oz cans chili beans (I usually use the un-spiced ones so I can control the chili taste better)
2 – Sweet Green peppers (or combination of yellow, red, orange and green)
2 – medium onions (red for a bit of zip, yellow for just onion, sweet to add a touch of sweet)
6 – jalapeno peppers (more or less to taste)
2 – Hungarian yellows
(Other peppers as desired)
2 pounds of ground chuck (other hamburger ok, but can add a lot of grease) or meat of your choice.
About 2 cups of sliced white mushrooms (optional, I like them)
4 - chopped garlic gloves (remember a clove is what you peal off of a bulb of garlic)
4 - tablespoons chili powder (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions:
Place the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in fry pan and turn flame on to medium
Place meat in fry pan or bottom of soup pan over medium heat to brown.
Slice 3 Jalapenos and 1 Hungarian yellow into 1/8 inch slices and add to meat
Chop green peppers (or mixed colors) to ½ inch on a side chunks and add to meat
Chop onions to ½ inch on a side and add to meat
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of chili powder over meat and ingredients in pan
Add half garlic to ingredients in pan
Sprinkle the sage over the ingredients in the pan
Add half the cracked pepper and half the salt to the pan
Mix ingredients, reduce heat and simmer in pan until onion is tender, stirring regularly (about every 3-4 minutes)
While meat and ingredients are simmering (if you used two pans) add the canned ingredients (except for the paste) to the soup pan as well as the remaining peppers, garlic and seasonings (peppers should be sliced as before). Add the mushrooms. Bring sauce to a low boil (simmer) while meat and other ingredients are sautéing. Sometimes I drain the beans (if the juice is thin), else just pour everything in. If the sauce is too thin, add in the two cans of paste. Too thin means like tomato soup, you want it thick but not too thick. If you didn’t use two pans, then hold this step until the onions are tender and then add it all to the same pot.
Once the onions are tender, carefully pour or ladle the ingredients of the fry pan into the soup pan. Simmer (low heat) the chili con carne for at least an hour, stirring about every 5-10 minutes (some may stick on the bottom, try reducing the heat if this gets to a problem.) I usually skim the grease from the chuck or other meat off of the top of the pot using a spoon just before I stir it. I keep one of the empty cans to use as a repository for this grease, makes cleanup easier!
Should be very edible after an hour. The longer it simmers, the better it is. It is really good after sitting in the fridge over night and re-warmed. Also excellent for use with chips. For Susan and I, we can get about 2-3 meals out of one pot of chili. (count on 6-7 large bowls, we like to put shredded sharp cheddar cheese and chopped onion on top.)
