Chili snobs, we ain't....

Herself had some tummy surgery (see my previous post), and is only just beginning back on non-liquid foods.  At the moment, it's pureed at best.   Okay, that gave me a good excuse to buy a Ninja Blender* and create some new recipes...

Herself expressed a wish for our Chili, and who am I to deny her what her heart desires?

The thing about Chili is this... people get 'funny' about it.  Like pineapple-on-pizza funny, that kind of funny.  

• "It's NOT CHILI if it has beans!!11!!"    (Slather Froth)
• "It's only CHILI if you home grow the peppers in a cemetery and pick them at midnight during a hurricane!!11!!"
• "Chili with anything but meat, peppers, tomato paste, and hate is nothing but funny tasting bean soup!!!11!!". (This one actually made me chortle with glee)

Yeah..... I'm going with NO here.  We make Chili often, and it's whatever we damn well please.  Our 'secret flavorings' are no secret at all.  It's whatever we feel like adding to get the flavor we want that day.  It could be Lager beer.  It could be dark chocolate.  It could be Masa (corn flour). Maybe today it's smoked Jalapenos, and tomorrow it's green chilly peppers.   Hell, it could all that, or none of it.

Every Chili is a critter all it's own.  If it wasn't, Chili cook-offs would be mail in affairs!

This Chili began with a cast iron dutch oven on the burner, set to medium low.  Into that goes two pounds of 85% ground beef, some black pepper, and a dash of salt.  Put the lid on, and walk away for 30-40 minutes.

Once the beef is cooked through, the grease and juice is poured off and the meat broken up into smaller chunks.  No rules here, just break it up, and then set it aside in a bowl.

In the dutch oven, now set to medium high, about half a stick of butter.  Dump in two large Vidalia onions, rough chopped.  Lid off, just leave it the hell alone till the onions are turning brown and sweet.  Maybe 15-20 minutes, with just a stir or two.  Now, turn the burner down to low.

Two cans of Goya Pinto beans, two cans of Goya** Kidney beans, one can of Hunt's diced tomatoes, one can of Rotel** tomatoes (with green chili's), a dozen cloves of roast garlic, and one small can hunts tomato paste.

The beans are drained and rinsed in a colander.  Let them drip off a few minutes while you put the meat, tomatoes, garlic, and tomato paste in with the onions.  Now pour in the beans.

Seasonings.... and here is where it goes off the rails.  It's really anything you want.  In this batch, I added maybe a quarter cup of dark Chili powder, a tablespoon of red pepper flakes, some kosher salt, and about twenty grinds of black pepper.

That's it.  Stir gently, lid it up, leave on low..... and GO AWAY.  Set the timer an hour, if you must.  After an hour, stir it gently and adjust flavor as you will.  Meself... I added a splash of Bourbon.

Lid back on for at least another hour.  Then, stir it, turn it off, and let it rest for 30 minutes or so.

Serve it as you will.  For herself, enough hit the blender for her to have two light meals, and to fill containers for the week.  Me, several bowls full, with a handful of shredded cheeses on top.  The rest, into containers for my work-week's lunches.


*About that Ninja Blender thing...... I bought it knowing Herself would need some pretty smooth foods for a while, and my food processor wasn't quite up to that task.  Our last blender had self-disassembled one time too many, and been tossed months ago.

We LIKE this Ninja widget, even if it did seem pricey at first.  The very first thing I made, of course, was a Vodka/Pineapple iced smoothie.  That came out so good I drank it all, be myself, and then slept on the floor a while.

Moving on, Cheesy broccoli soup, which came out so smooth it left nothing behind when poured through a fine sieve. Then an amazing cream of Mushroom soup. Now, this Chili, which has a fascinating texture and flavor.  What Herself didn't eat, I mixed back into my Chili, and was rewarded with a flavor explosion.

**  Ro-Tel tomatoes..... we enjoy the bejeebers out of these things.  We get them at BJ's by the case, and usually have a dozen cans on hand.  They are defining for a good Chili, and add a silly amount of great flavor to baked beans or a pasta sauce.  

An old Texas friend turned me on to these, long before they became available up here in Yankee land.  He used to ship me care packages...lol.   If you don't already know the Ro-Tel magic, buy a few cans to try.   Bet you a steak dinner they keep their place in your pantry forevermore.  

Also **  Goya canned beans.  Yes, I know.  Store brand is significantly cheaper.  That said, Goya does damn good canned beans.  If it's a dish that matters, why not spend the extra pennies?  We usually have kidney, pinto, black, and garbanzo beans in the pantry.   Not only for Chili, but home made Cowboy beans, Baked beans, Stews, and salads.