House Chili

So its been awhile. Like 3 months almost... Sorry. Rose and I have no doubt been busy, what with the holidays, events, moving and school starting back up. Personally, I've just been so focused on starting off on the right track with school that I haven't been paying to much else.

Now that the apologies are over, on with the recipe. This one is actually from Paula Dean's husband, found on foodtv.com. I did make a few tweaks to it, and will continue to of course. But to be honest, this recipe is pretty damn good right from the get-go.

Onward!

House Chili


Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef (I used chili-grind for this and I actually was impressed with the texture)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cans diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 can pinto beans, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 can kidney beans, drained
• 1 packet store-bought chili seasoning

 Directions

In a cast iron skillet, brown the ground beef. Drain and set aside.

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in large pot over medium heat. When I say large, I mean it. I used an 8 quart stock pot and it was a few inches from the top. Seriously.

Add your onion and green pepper to the pot. Now here's how I do  the pepper. I cut the top and bottom off, then put four cuts into it, evenly spaced between the four ribs inside. Cut those pieces off of the central stalk and if desired, trim remaining rib and seeds off. I also cop them into bigger pieces so that people can remove them if wanted. My mom can't eat bell peppers so... yeah. Anywho.

Saute the vegetables for a few minutes until lightly brown, then add in the tomatoes, chili powder and cumin. You can add more if you like, but that amount is pretty good for my family's taste. Cook for 8 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Add your drained beans, the browned meat and the packet of chili seasoning. Bring the mix to a light simmer, give it a few good stirs, cover partially and let simmer for about 4 hours.

Now my dad and I are the same person in a lot of ways. We both don't like letting food sit without checking it. So, every 30 minutes or so one, or both of us, would go in and give it a few stirs.

After the time is up, your chili should be reduced a good amount. Mine was about two-thirds of what it was when I started. I served this with some cornbread, shredded cheddar cheese and even some pasta for my mother, who is oddly specific about how she eats her chili...

So yeah, that's my chili recipe. Oddly enough, it tastes reminiscent of a certain fast food place's chili. But my family liked it, and as with most chili, it tastes better with age. This recipe makes a crap-ton of chili as a heads up. My dad and I had it for lunch for a few days following. Hope you enjoy.