Thanks to my sister Betsi, I didn’t have to reinvent the wheel with my chili recipe! This is a hearty chili that gets better with each reheating. You can experiment with it, making the mix of seasonings match your particular taste. It’s also good topped with shredded cheese or sour cream. However you chose to finish it, it’s a pretty good eat. Enjoy.
Lisseroo’s Chili
Ingredients:
3 lbs ground beef (2 pounds 90% lean or more, 1 pound 80% lean)
1 large (52 oz.) can light red kidney beans
2 large onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
2 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
4 small (14 oz.) cans stewed tomatoes (2 cans “Mexican style”, if possible)
1 T minimum multiple chili powders of your choice
1 T paprika
1 T ground cumin
salt and pepper
a few pinches of sugar
grated cheese of your choice (I recommend mixing Monterey Jack and Cheddar)
butter (or if you’re me, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Light)
Preparation:
In a large fry pan, brown onions and garlic in generous amount of butter, adding salt and pepper as you go. When the onions have softened, add the chopped jalapenos. Then, add the ground beef. Cook on medium/high heat until meat is cooked through.
While meat is cooking, place kidney beans, including all liquid, in a large cooking pot over medium/high heat. Add stewed tomatoes, including all liquid. You can dice them or simply squish them with your hands (great fun for kids- if you have a drop cloth on the floor!) as you add them – I go for the squish method, myself. Mix together.
Add 1 tablespoon each of at least two different chili powders* plus 1 tablespoon of paprika and 1 tablespoon of cumin (if you like cumin). Mix well, and then add browned meat mixture (including any liquid – this meat is mostly lean, so the amount of fat/fluid added to the pot is minimal) to the bean pot. Stir.
Add 1-2 pinches of sugar and mix in. Reduce heat and begin to simmer.
Using same fry pan and a small amount of butter, heat green and red peppers, softening them and slightly browining them. Add to the bean and meat mixture. Taste for spice, salt/pepper, and sweetness. This chili is not designed to be a tongue burner!
Add additional chili powder, salt/pepper, and, if desired, another pinch of sugar. A tiny bit of sweetness brings out the tomatoes and adds a great deal to the flavor. Allow chili to simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Top with whatever you wish, or serve it naked. Eat it hot, preferably with fresh, warm bread.
*I use, when I can find them, a mix of Gebhardt’s (Texas-style) chili powder and Grandma’s chili powder (Kansas-style, formerly sold as “Grandma’s Spanish Seasoning”) – they are a very tasty mix. The Gebhardt family originated chili powder as we know it – German immigrants to Texas who missed the paprika they cooked with back in Europe.
Filed under: Cooking, Cooking for Guys, Easy Stuff, Our Own Recipes, Recipes
