Your Choice Chili
We call this Your Choice Chili because it is so infinitely variable. To make this a vegetarian chili (or more accurately Chili Frijoles) just replace the meat with a roughly equivalent amount of beans. I like the combination of kidney beans, pintos and black beans, but any cooked 'shellie' type beans that you prefer would taste good.
To adjust the heat, just use more or less of the chili peppers and/or cayenne pepper.
People to whom I've given the recipe sometimes ask why it doesn't contain chili powder. My reply is that chili powder consists of the spices that you would add to chili to begin with, so why purchase a special mixture called chili powder? In addition, many commercial chili powders contain spices that would never be found in traditional chili, such as paprika.
Contributor: Family recipe
Crumble the meat into a heavy pot (I use a cast iron Dutch oven) and cook until it begins to brown. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper and chiles and cook over medium heat until the vegetables soften and the meat is fully browned. (If you're making the recipe without meat, use your preferred cooking oil to saute the vegetables). Add the remaining spices and heat for another few minutes. Add beans and desired liquid, the chopped cilantro, and salt. Continue to cook until the mixture just comes to a boil. Cover, turn the heat down to low, and cook gently for 30-40 minutes.
Combine the cornmeal or masa with 1/4 cup of the liquid in the pot, and return it to the mixture, stirring well. If you're not happy with the consistency, you can add a bit more cornmeal (mixed in the liquid as before), or if it's too thick, add a bit of water. Everyone has their own preference for consistency.
Serve over rice if your family likes that, or just by itself in big bowls. I provide shredded cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips as condiments.
To adjust the heat, just use more or less of the chili peppers and/or cayenne pepper.
People to whom I've given the recipe sometimes ask why it doesn't contain chili powder. My reply is that chili powder consists of the spices that you would add to chili to begin with, so why purchase a special mixture called chili powder? In addition, many commercial chili powders contain spices that would never be found in traditional chili, such as paprika.
Contributor: Family recipe
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef (or a combination of ground beef and bulk sausage 1 medium onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 green bell pepper, chopped (or your preferred combination of green, red and yellow bell pepper) 1-2 jalapeno, serrano or other chili peppers, seeded and chopped 1 tbsp ground coriander 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 cup cooked drained kidney beans (or about 2-1/2 cups of assorted cooked beans if you're making Chili Frijoles) 1 20-oz can diced tomatoes 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves 1 teaspoon salt 3-4 cups water or beef or vegetable broth 1 tablespoon masa harina or yellow cornmeal |
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Crumble the meat into a heavy pot (I use a cast iron Dutch oven) and cook until it begins to brown. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper and chiles and cook over medium heat until the vegetables soften and the meat is fully browned. (If you're making the recipe without meat, use your preferred cooking oil to saute the vegetables). Add the remaining spices and heat for another few minutes. Add beans and desired liquid, the chopped cilantro, and salt. Continue to cook until the mixture just comes to a boil. Cover, turn the heat down to low, and cook gently for 30-40 minutes.
Combine the cornmeal or masa with 1/4 cup of the liquid in the pot, and return it to the mixture, stirring well. If you're not happy with the consistency, you can add a bit more cornmeal (mixed in the liquid as before), or if it's too thick, add a bit of water. Everyone has their own preference for consistency.
Serve over rice if your family likes that, or just by itself in big bowls. I provide shredded cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips as condiments.