Chili Casa El
Nothing fancy here. No pictures. No funny or personal stories. Just Chili.
No picture, because everyone always eats too quickly. Anyway, chili isn’t all that pretty.
CHILI:
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1 lb sausage meat, hot or sweet depending on taste and availability; I prefer hot
• 1 1/2 large yellow onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 C. olive oil
• 2 cans (35 oz each) canned plum tomatoes, drained and sliced
• 1 1/2-2 6 oz cans of tomato paste
• 1/4 C. Dijon mustard
• ~ 1 bottle of GOOD beer, something you’d want to drink with the chili
• 2 oz. Unsweetened chocolate
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• minced fresh hot peppers; I usually use 2-3 jalapenos, 2 fresnos. Be careful, especially if you use scotch bonnets. Don’t rub your eyes, insert contacts, etc. after cutting the chilis. Like, for a day.
• 2 T. oregano
• 2 T. basil
• ~ 1 oz cumin
• 2 + oz good quality chili powder
• lots of fresh ground pepper
• small heap (~1/2 oz cayenne)
• ~ 1/2 oz ground cinnamon
• 2 sticks of cinnamon
• a sprinkling of paprika
• 1 1/2 T. salt
• If you like beans, 1-2 cans of kidney, pinto, or whatever else you like. I don’t add them.
1. chop onions, mince garlic
2. heat oil in a soup kettle, (cast iron) dutch oven or other similar pot
3. Add onions, garlic, cover until translucent, about 10 minutes, stirring once in a while.
4. Add all meat, crumbling, stir occasionally until browned, 10-15 minutes
5. Remove as much fat from the pot as you can. You should get at least one big glass of the stuff. You don’t want greasy chili
6. While the meat is browning, you have plenty of time to prep all other ingredients.
7. When meat is browned, add minced fresh hot peppers. Stir to blend well.
8. Add tomato paste, mustard, all spices. Stir until well integrated with the meat.
9. Add tomatoes, lemon juice, beer. Stir well.
10. Add chocolate and stir until melted and combined.
11. Add beans, if you are using them.
12. Place cover on the pot, walk away and try not to think about it for 10-15 minutes. Come back and taste. Adjust any and all seasonings to your preference. You can even add more fresh hot peppers
13. Keep over a low flame until you are ready to serve, or if you have made it early in the day, turn off the heat, put the cover on the chili, and reheat 10 minutes before serving.
14. Serve with sides of grated cheese, sour cream, diced red onions. If you want “Cincinati” style chili, make some spaghetti and put some in each person’s bowl before the chili. If you’re inclined, corn bread is also a nice addition to this meal, and with some veggie (I usually serve carrots, cherry tomatoes and hummus) you have an entire meal for 8-12 people.
I usually serve this on Mondays, when I usually have a maximum number of family members and a business meeting (at home) preceding dinner. There’s enough for everyone, and I don’t have to fuss while trying to discuss work. There's usually enough for lunch the next day, too.
Note: In that wonderful world of theory, this chili is adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook, except that it’s been changed so much that if you tasted both, you wouldn’t think they had much in common. That’s OK; if you don’t like something about my recipe, change it accordingly; chili is cowboy food, originally made with what was available. Also, this recipe assumes that you are working with four pounds of meat; so if you’re having 20 people, adjust accordingly. Also, all spice amounts are very approximate and after you do it a few times, you'll be able to "see" the right amount.
No picture, because everyone always eats too quickly. Anyway, chili isn’t all that pretty.
CHILI:
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1 lb sausage meat, hot or sweet depending on taste and availability; I prefer hot
• 1 1/2 large yellow onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 C. olive oil
• 2 cans (35 oz each) canned plum tomatoes, drained and sliced
• 1 1/2-2 6 oz cans of tomato paste
• 1/4 C. Dijon mustard
• ~ 1 bottle of GOOD beer, something you’d want to drink with the chili
• 2 oz. Unsweetened chocolate
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• minced fresh hot peppers; I usually use 2-3 jalapenos, 2 fresnos. Be careful, especially if you use scotch bonnets. Don’t rub your eyes, insert contacts, etc. after cutting the chilis. Like, for a day.
• 2 T. oregano
• 2 T. basil
• ~ 1 oz cumin
• 2 + oz good quality chili powder
• lots of fresh ground pepper
• small heap (~1/2 oz cayenne)
• ~ 1/2 oz ground cinnamon
• 2 sticks of cinnamon
• a sprinkling of paprika
• 1 1/2 T. salt
• If you like beans, 1-2 cans of kidney, pinto, or whatever else you like. I don’t add them.
1. chop onions, mince garlic
2. heat oil in a soup kettle, (cast iron) dutch oven or other similar pot
3. Add onions, garlic, cover until translucent, about 10 minutes, stirring once in a while.
4. Add all meat, crumbling, stir occasionally until browned, 10-15 minutes
5. Remove as much fat from the pot as you can. You should get at least one big glass of the stuff. You don’t want greasy chili
6. While the meat is browning, you have plenty of time to prep all other ingredients.
7. When meat is browned, add minced fresh hot peppers. Stir to blend well.
8. Add tomato paste, mustard, all spices. Stir until well integrated with the meat.
9. Add tomatoes, lemon juice, beer. Stir well.
10. Add chocolate and stir until melted and combined.
11. Add beans, if you are using them.
12. Place cover on the pot, walk away and try not to think about it for 10-15 minutes. Come back and taste. Adjust any and all seasonings to your preference. You can even add more fresh hot peppers
13. Keep over a low flame until you are ready to serve, or if you have made it early in the day, turn off the heat, put the cover on the chili, and reheat 10 minutes before serving.
14. Serve with sides of grated cheese, sour cream, diced red onions. If you want “Cincinati” style chili, make some spaghetti and put some in each person’s bowl before the chili. If you’re inclined, corn bread is also a nice addition to this meal, and with some veggie (I usually serve carrots, cherry tomatoes and hummus) you have an entire meal for 8-12 people.
I usually serve this on Mondays, when I usually have a maximum number of family members and a business meeting (at home) preceding dinner. There’s enough for everyone, and I don’t have to fuss while trying to discuss work. There's usually enough for lunch the next day, too.
Note: In that wonderful world of theory, this chili is adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook, except that it’s been changed so much that if you tasted both, you wouldn’t think they had much in common. That’s OK; if you don’t like something about my recipe, change it accordingly; chili is cowboy food, originally made with what was available. Also, this recipe assumes that you are working with four pounds of meat; so if you’re having 20 people, adjust accordingly. Also, all spice amounts are very approximate and after you do it a few times, you'll be able to "see" the right amount.