It’s finally starting to feel like Fall now that we’re a little over half way through November. Today is rainy, cool, and overcast. One of my favorite things to make and eat on days like this is chili.
That being said, there are hundreds if not thousands of chili recipes out there. I like good food. Not “fancy” food, but good food. And I like food that isn’t going to take all day to make. Or at least isn’t going to have me standing in the kitchen all day. After all, there’s football to watch and beer and whiskey to be consumed. So, for the perfect combination of flavor and simplicity, I’ve been using this recipe for a couple of years. The quantities here make enough for a couple of people for a couple of days. You can easily double the recipe if you have a larger pot and you plan on making it for a larger group (or want to freeze some of it – it freezes well).
First, let’s look at the ingredients:
1 lb hamburger (I usually use 85% lean)
1/2 lb chorizo (take it out of its casing if using links)
2 cans beans (I use 1 can dark red kidney beans, 1 can light red)
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 beef bouillon cubes
1/8 cup chili powder
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (or just 6-9 good shakes)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 Tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon hot sauce (or 6-8 good shakes – I like Franks)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon pepper (to taste)
1/2 cup beer (not pictured because I was drinking it)
Okay, that’s all the stuff you’ll need. So let’s get to the process.
Prep Work:
- Wash, then chop the celery
- Take the skin off and chop the onion
- Mince the garlic (or use a garlic press if you have one)
- Combine all the dry spices in a small bowl
- Open all the cans (beans, tomato stuff – not shown)
- Drain most of the liquid from the beans
Whew! That prep work was drudgery!
The Cooking Proper:
1. Brown the hamburger and chorizo:
2a. Here’s the tricky part. All the other stuff? Dump it in and stir it up. Cover it and let it simmer for at least 2 hours. That’s it.
But damn it, I took a lot of other pictures, so I’m going to go into detail here. If you don’t care, just follow step 2a above.
2b. You’ve opened the beans. Add them to the browned hamburger and chorizo:
3. Add the diced tomatoes and the diced tomatoes with green chiles. If you want, you can also use fresh some green chile chopped finely and 2 cans plain diced tomatoes:
4. Add the tomato paste:
5. Add the dry spices and bouillon cubes:
6. Add the chopped onion, chopped celery, and minced garlic:
7. Dump in 1/2 a beer (if you have any left) and mix it all together. If you drank all your beer, get another for yourself and just put in a 1/2 cup of water:
8. Stir, mixing it on medium-high heat until the mixture starts bubbling, then reduce heat to low and cover.
9. Let simmer at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Give it a taste, and add salt and pepper to taste, and hot sauce to get it where you want it heat-wise. The longer it simmers, the better it gets:
10. Eat it. It’s good on its own or with some shredded cheddar cheese and/or scallions on the top if you’re feeling like a fancy-pants. Also good with a torn off hunk of Italian or French bread if you’re feeling even more fancy-pants.
Lastly, tweak this simple recipe and make it however you like it. As long as you have most of the spices, the ingredients should cost around $15-$20. So experiment and enjoy. And let me know what you think.
Angry Viking Actual, Out.
