Chili Rules - 3/26/11

"Old Faithful" - My Favorite Chili Recipe


4 large onions, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

¼ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 bay leaves, crumbled

2 pounds ground sirloin

½ cup chili powder

1- 28 ounce can tomatoes, undrained

3- 20 ounce cans light red kidney beans, undrained

2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1/8 teaspoon crushed hot chili peppers

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Saute onions and garlic in the oil in a large heavy kettle over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes until golden.  Add oregano, bay leaves, and the ground sirloin and sauté, breaking up meat, 10 minutes until beef is no longer pink.  You shouldn’t have excess fat to drain off if you used the sirloin or another lean ground beef.  Add ¼ cup of the chili powder, the tomatoes, two cans of the kidney beans, and simmer, uncovered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, 1 ½ hours.  Add the remaining chili powder and kidney beans along with the salt, vinegar, red peppers and black pepper.  Simmer, stirring, 15 minutes longer.  Taste to adjust the seasoning.  This is one of those dishes that tastes best the next day.

Now that I am doing the actual cooking, I played with the ingredients just a bit, as I think you can tell from this picture.  Also, I realize there is a little sumpin' sumpin' I always do, and never include in the actual recipe, and I think it's time to reveal my secret**.

Here is the list of ingredients I am using today:

1 very large sweet onion, chopped
1 very large red onion, chopped
1 poblano chili, chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped

¼ cup olive oil + 2 tablespoons corn oil

2 big pinches kosher salt
1 big pinch regular sugar
coarse black pepper
granulated garlic
smoked paprika
sweet paprika

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 bay leaves, crumbled

½ cup chili powder, divided

2 tablespoons cumin, divided
2 pounds ground sirloin
2 - 15 ounce cans dark red kidney beans, undrained

1- 28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes, undrained
2 packets Sazon Goya sin achiote

2 - 15 ounce cans light red kidney beans, undrained

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1/8 teaspoon crushed hot chili peppers
A few drops of Tabasco sauce

Heat the oils together in a heavy pot.  Add the onions, poblano, and onions, then before stirring, sprinkle over the salt, sugar, pepper, granulated garlic, smoked paprika, sweet paprika.  Stir and then saute over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes until golden.  Add oregano, bay leaves, and the ground sirloin and sauté, breaking up meat, 10 minutes until beef is no longer pink.   Add ¼ cup of the chili powder, 1 tablespoon of the cumin, two cans of the dark kidney beans, and stir so that the beans are evenly seasoned.  Add the undrained tomatoes, breaking them up with the side of a wooden spoon, then add the Sazon Goya, stir everything together (gently so as not to mash the beans), and then simmer,  partially covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, 1 ½ hours.  Add the remaining chili powder, cumin and the light red kidney beans along with the vinegar, red peppers, and Tabasco.  Simmer uncovered, stirring, 15 minutes longer.  Taste to adjust the seasoning. 

**My secret?  When sauteed vegetables are part of a recipe, I always season them with kosher salt, black pepper, a pinch of sugar, and whatever else strikes my fancy.  Sometimes this is granulated garlic, and/or sweet paprika, while other times it might be a spice blend, like Emeril's Essence, seasoned salt, or one of the Cajun blends I have in my pantry.  This technique creates a layer of flavor, and helps the vegetables to carmelize, adding even more flavor.

A couple of other secrets - I always use that pinch of sugar when sauteing onions.  The dish won't taste sweet, but it will taste better.  Same thing with those few drops of Tabasco - like salt, it enhances the flavor of the dish without necessarily creating heat.  Obviously, you want to add these seasonings with a judicious hand, as you will have the opportunity to taste and re-season after the dish has cooked for a while.  And whenever the recipe calls for fresh garlic, I add some granulated garlic as well.  Why?  Well, they really aren't the same thing.  Unlike herbs, which can almost always be swapped out dried for fresh, granulated garlic or garlic powder cannot be substituted for fresh.  Instead, it adds it's own unique flavor to a dish, and enhances the fresh garlic taste.  By the way, if you are swapping out dried herbs for fresh, use just one-third the amount.  There are times, however, when only fresh will do, or when I use both.

My personal favorite way to eat chili is with some grated sharp cheddar and a spoonful of sour cream.  As far as I am concerned, everything else is already in there, but your mileage may vary, so dress it up anyway you like.  When I'm serving it to company, I set out all sorts of toppings and sides. 

 

Cook like there's nobody watching, and eat like it's heaven on earth.