Foodmomiac Chili
I've made this before for you guys, but that was back in the old days, and I never provided much of a recipe. So, we are revisiting it.
Chili is a big favorite in this house. We all love it, and we'll even eat the leftovers, which is saying a lot for Michael -he is leftovers-adverse on most days.
This is truly my own recipe, but once again, as with the vegetable soup, it is derived from a recipe that my mom has been using for over thirty years; the Chili Con Carne recipe from the New York Times cookbook (it's from the 60's version, so I can't really link to it on Amazon). However, as she is wont to do, my mom changed the recipe, and then when I started making it, I changed it even more. The cookbook calls for ground beef. I use a chuck roast cut into 1/2 inch cubes. The cookbook calls for water. I use a combination of water and beer. The cookbook calls for kidney beans. I use black. I also add hominy, which certainly wasn't mentioned anywhere in the recipe. As I write this, I realize that this is basically NOTHING like the original recipe. Story of my life, I tell ya.
Everyone in my house tops their chili differently. I use sliced avocado, sour cream and shredded cheese. If I'm in the mood for something crunchy, I will add crushed tortilla chips. Dylan does sour cream, cheese and crushed saltines. Michael does cheese and saltines. Max basically eats what he's given at this point, so the makeup of his chili bowl is still an unknown.
And, without further ado, my Chili.
Foodmomiac Chili
1 to 1-1/2 pounds chuck roast, frozen for 40 minutes
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
4 cups water
1 bottle beer
1 32oz. can whole, diced or crushed tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can hominy or sweet corn, drained
Pull the meat out of the freezer and cut it into 1/2 inch cubes (partially freezing makes it easier to cut through the meat). Heat a large dutch oven over medium high heat, add the olive oil, and then brown the meat on all sides. Add the onion, garlic and peppers. When these start to soften, add the chili powder and cumin. Cook for about 5-6 minutes. You want the spices to really give up their flavor and get nice and toasty (but not burnt). Add the water, beer and tomatoes. If using whole tomatoes, cut them up a bit in the can before adding them. I just stick my knife in the can. You can also using kitchen shears for this. Cook over low heat for at least three hours, adding more water as necessary. When you have about 1/2 hour to go, add the beans and hominy (or corn).
Note: You can easily adapt this recipe to a crockpot. Before adding the water, beer and tomatoes, transfer the mixture to your crockpot. Also, you will need to HALVE the amount of water used, as liquid will not cook off in a crockpot. Also, you can add the beans and corn right away instead of waiting until the end. I usually cook on low for 6-8 hours.
