Thank you so very much to
Everyday Mom’s Meals for having me over for a visit! Today I’m sharing with you
one of my family’s favorite recipes, my Chili
con Carne, which can be found on my blog, My Favorite Dinner Recipes. Don’t let the long ingredient list intimidate
you! This chili is super easy to make and super flavorful to eat! The key to this delicious dish is PATIENCE!
The longer it cooks the more time the flavors have to really develop and wake
up! The foundation for this recipe is
something my mother use to make for us quite often growing up, but I’ve tweaked
it just a hair to give it a little kick.
On September 26, 2010, I was
taught the old adage that patience is a virtue.
At 34 years, while at my desk, I had a stroke, which ended my 8-year law
career, took the usage of my left side, my good sight, and a list of other
things I won’t bore you with. Through it
all my family’s support remains constant, and my love for cooking has
blossomed. What was once a boring chore is now my therapy and my art. I cook (with much effort and supervision) for
them. Stroke or no stroke, can you believe they still get hungry? I must remain patient and allow time to
slowly heal my injuries, allow my brain to slowly relearn all that I have
forgotten, and develop coping mechanisms that help me thrive with today’s
version of me.
So in celebration of my newly
found virtue, PATIENCE, please enjoy a bowl of super slow cooked (not in a slow
cooker) Chili
con Carne, cooked and simmered for no less than 6 hours (4 hours if I’m
feeling a bit sluggish)! You can put all of the ingredients in your slow cooker
and walk away, but where is the fun in that? Saturday morning, 1st
thing, grab a good sturdy 12-quart stockpot, a good ole fashion wooden spoon,
all 10000000 ingredients on this list, and LET’S
GET COOKING!
Chili con Carne
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 sweet onion diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup Green Grind Seasoning (optional)
1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 cup beef broth
1-12 ounce bottle stout beer
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can light kidney
beans
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can dark kidney
beans
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
2 ounces of semi sweet chocolate
(WHOO-HOOO!)
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
Directions
In a large stockpot, sauté 2
tablespoons of brown sugar, onions, celery, garlic, and green and red peppers
in olive oil until onions are translucent. Do not allow garlic to burn or else
your chili will have a nasty, bitter, garlicky aftertaste. (YUCK!)
Add ground beef until it has
browned thoroughly. Strain off the excess fat before proceeding to next step.
Add the Green
Grind Seasoning to the beef and sauté for 5 minutes over medium heat.
Add the stout beer and let boil
for 1 minute.
Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato
paste and the beef stock and stir thoroughly.
Add all remaining ingredients and
stir to mix well. Bring the chili to (what I like to call) an energetic
simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and continue to simmer on low
for MINIMUM of 1 hour (but I like to let it go for 4 to 6 hours), stirring
occasionally. The longer the chili simmers the more the flavors get a chance to
really develop.
Remove the bay leaves and
serve. Garnish or serve with any of the following: Cornbread
Muffins, sour cream, diced red onions, shredded cheddar cheese, diced
tomatoes, fresh chopped cilantro. I'm pretty boring though. Just
give me a cute little Cornbread
Muffins and a spoon and I'm a happy camper!
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!
2 comments:
This bowl of chilli has chocolate chips in it? WOW!
You know, I never thought about using chocolate chips, but I guess that would work, too. :-) I use the blocks used for baking. Each block is about a 1/2 ounce. Gives the chili a great flavor and great color!
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