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My Idea of Chili Stew
A Definition of Chili
"Chili con carne (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈt͡ʃili koŋ ˈkarne]; English: chili with meat, commonly known in American English as simply “chili”, is a spicy stew containing chili peppers, meat (usually beef), and often tomatoes and beans. Other seasonings may include garlic, onions, and cumin. Variations, both geographic and personal, involve different types of meat and ingredients." From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Now that winter is here, I look forward to regaining ground in my kitchen. Throughout the year I'm so busy, I do very little cooking. The hospital where I work has a wonderful cafeteria system. I usually do my eating there. When the temperatures take a nosedive, I start thinking on my winter favorites such as Shepard's Pie, Spaghetti, Chili, Bean soups, Curry Stew and a few others. My chili recipe is the topic of this hub.
The recipe I share with this article is a double batch. I halve the recipe when I don't want to freeze a lot of leftovers. The versatility of this recipe is also a plus. I share my Chili Mac recipe below. Make the full recipe of chili then use part of it for the second recipe I've shared below. Chili dogs, Nachos and Chili Fries are others. Then there's the old standby of chili burritos. Please visit Purpleveil's hub for other ideas to use up leftover chili.
I've sprinkled a few quotes regarding the history of chili. The most interesting quote regarding Sister Mary of Agreda comes from the National Chili Day website. Read that potful of interesting information regarding Chili Stew. Another fellow Hubber, cabmgmnt, has a hub on the history of chili. Chili Cook Off and Wikipedia also provide interesting facts about where this savory dish originated. Though I used turkey and beef for this batch of chili, you might want to try a venison chili version, an excellent hub by fellow hubber, mpropp.
Enthusiasts of chili say one possible though far-fetched starting point comes from Sister Mary of Agreda, a Spanish nun in the early 1600s who never left her convent yet had out-of-body experiences in which her spirit was transported across the Atlantic to preach Christianity to the Indians. After one of the return trips, her spirit wrote down the first recipe for chili con carne: chili peppers, venison, onions, and tomatoes.
National Chili Day's History of Chili
Another Thought or Two
There are several ways to serve chili. My favorite is over cornbread as pictured above. Another way is over rice. Tortilla chips and flour tortilla's are a few other ways as well as on a potato. I made this recipe in my WonderBag, but the recipe provides instruction as to how to do so on the stove top alone. Find out more about the WonderBag on my WonderBag hub. I discuss chili further on Jaquo.
Tanya's Chili Stew
Gather The Fixins
- 1 T butter, This is optional.
- 1/4 C olive oil, Vegetable oil is okay.
- 2 C Onions, Diced. I prefer sweet onions rather than hot onions.
- 4 cloves Garlic, Finely chopped
- 1 C Bell pepper, Diced
- 2 lb Ground meat, I use turkey or turkey and beef. The choice is yours.
- 1 - 4 Jalapeños, Finely diced. I include the whole jalapeño and seeds, less the stem.
- 3 medium tomatoes, Diced
- 2 14.5 oz cans Diced tomatoes, I use the chili ready variety.
- 1 15 oz can Tomato sauce
- 2 12 oz cans Tomato paste
- 2 - 15.5 oz cans Dark red kidney beans, Rinsed very well, I cook my own. Two cups of cooked beans equals one 15.5 ounce can of beans
- 1 C pineapple juice, This is optional
- 2-4 T 2-4 T chili powder
- 1/4 t clove powder
- 1/4 t allspice
- 2.5 T cumin
- 3 t oregano
- 2 cubes bouillon
Brewin' Up Some Spicy Goodness
- Sauté onions, garlic, tomatoes, jalapeños and bell pepper in butter and oil until soft.
- Remove sautéed mixture to another bowl and set aside.
- In the same pan after removing onion mixture brown ground meat.
- Once browned with only a little pink add the onion mixture back into the pan.
- Add beans here.
- Add tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, and tomato paste.
- Add juice.
- Add remaining spices and bouillon.
- Bring to boil then simmer 30 minutes.
- If using a Wonderbag, bring the stew to a boil and allow to boil for five minutes before bagging it. Bag time with pre-cooked beans would be 4-6 hours. I bagged it overnight and precooked my beans in a pressure cooker.
A Double Batch Is Never Too Much
One reason I make a double batch for a single person such as myself is because I use it many ways. For potluck season, Chili Mac is always a crowd-pleaser.
Chili Mac
INGREDIENTS:
16 oz block of velveeta (I used the Mexican style)
5 - 6 C dry macaroni (makes more after cooked.)
1/4 to 1/2 a double batch of my chili stew recipe above.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Drain cooked macaroni.
2. Dump macaroni into the bottom of a lasagna dish.
3. Cut the velveeta into 1" chunks then place on top of noodles.
4. Bake for 10 - 20 min covered
5. Remove from heat and stir melted cheese into noodles
6. Pour 1/2 double batch chili on top of noodles and mix in slightly
Chili peppers were used in Cervantes's Spain and show up in great ancient cuisines of China, India, Indonesia, Italy, the Caribbean, France, and the Arab states.
— The International Chili Society,
© 2014 Tanya Jones
