This recipe definitely needs a little work, in my opinion, but it's certainly not bad by any means. I modified it from the "Cabin Chili with Meat" recipe from Maryana Volestedt's Big Book of Soups and Stews.
Actually, it looks like we've got about the same amount of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. I'm currently using a container of McCormick chili mix that I picked up at CostCo, but I'll keep an eye out for cowboy-themed chili mix. *grin* And flour, I absolutely should've thought of that.
Have you ever tried making chili with diced chicken rather than ground beef? I found myself contemplating that earlier today.
Anyways, thanks for the feedback! Recipes, for me, are always a starting place to expand upon until I get it right to my tastes.
1) Rooster Sauce (it's a Vietnamese hot sauce; the bottle is printed in white with an image of a rooster on it, very easy to identify on the shelf in any Asian grocery)
2) Honey. It doesn't take much -- I'd think no more than a couple of teaspoons for the amount you're making -- but it really smooths out the flavor, without making the whole thing too sweet.
What about Sriracha hot chili sauce? I use that in most of my spicy Chinese dishes, and it adds a nice kick. I suspect the Chinese hot oil I bought a while back and have used VERY sparingly since might be overkill...
Glancing at the recipe, I'm guessing you're gonna need a lot more chili powder and cumin in there. Some jalapenos or something like that wouldn't hurt either.
My standard chili recipe is pretty similar, and almost always comes out fantastic (after the appropriate amount of stewing). Here are some notes of my own, you may or may not try these suggestions as you see fit
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Huh! Interesting. I will definitely try out your recommendations. My recipe kind of evolved from a book recipe -- I made it the first time, decided that it wasn't quite what I was looking for in a chili (not enough meat, not spicy enough, etc.) and modified. I'm always looking for alternatives, and your additions sound like they'd be well-worth trying.
Seriously, though -- 2 hours cooking time? What criteria do you have for chili that requires such a substantial time simmering? Admittedly, my recipe isn't quite thick enough that a spoon would stand up in it, but it's close.
I would aim for 2 hours at the least. Granted that most of this time will be on the lowest heat that sustains a slight boil, but still. There's a seemingly magical point at which the ingredients finally "meld" and go from being just a bunch of ingredients floating around, to something greater combined. I'm thinking perhaps the refried beans you use brings this point artificially early; maybe if you try using all uncooked beans and use more diced/whole tomatoes and omit the tomato sauce, you'll see what I mean. If you do follow this suggestion, though, watch out - it may seem after the first 20 or 30 minutes that something has gone wrong, but it's normal: just keep cooking. It's hard to describe any better, but hopefully you'll see what I mean if you try.
And as for the garlic, you betcha! I love smashing and mincing up a garlic clove or four for the flavor, and the longer it cooks the more subtle the flavor will be. : )
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another addition that would improve the "Spice" favor would be long pepper or Grains of Paradise.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_pepper
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grains_of_Paradise
both can be picked up at your local "ethnic" food stores. I get mine from a Indian foods store.
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Have you ever tried making chili with diced chicken rather than ground beef? I found myself contemplating that earlier today.
Anyways, thanks for the feedback! Recipes, for me, are always a starting place to expand upon until I get it right to my tastes.
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1) Rooster Sauce (it's a Vietnamese hot sauce; the bottle is printed in white with an image of a rooster on it, very easy to identify on the shelf in any Asian grocery)
2) Honey. It doesn't take much -- I'd think no more than a couple of teaspoons for the amount you're making -- but it really smooths out the flavor, without making the whole thing too sweet.
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... of course, since it's just me I've got enough chili to last through the end of the week so that could be a while. *grin* Still, thanks!
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Seriously, though -- 2 hours cooking time? What criteria do you have for chili that requires such a substantial time simmering? Admittedly, my recipe isn't quite thick enough that a spoon would stand up in it, but it's close.
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