with the weather being so nasty these last few weeks, I got into making chili. haven’t made any in years and with all the nice options of beans here, I tried it out again a few weeks ago.
my 5 qt dutch oven has the perfect size. I usually use about 2lbs of ground beef. I had a mix of pork and beef the other day and it does not taste quite as good as with just beef – and I can’t believe I would ever say that…
I brown the meat in two batches, season it with salt, pepper and cayenne and once the second batch is done, I add the onion which I had chopped up in larger pieces, and stir until it is translucent. next, I add two smashed cloves of garlic and the other batch of ground beef. you can also add one bell pepper (which can also be a nice way of making it a bit more colorful), and a fresh jalapeño, finely chopped.
let all cook until the peppers are soft and add a small can of diced tomatoes. my favorite can tomato brand is hunt’s, their sauces just taste really good. yesterday I had a can of fire roasted ones which added a nice taste to it, but I like the petite diced ones better. to get a bit more sauce (in the end I am swabian and we looooove sauce), I pour in a large can of tomato sauce. this is really to your own liking, you can also just add tomato paste and water. let everything simmer for a while and season with salt, pepper and a bit of oregano.
next, the beans. I got a recommendation for the goya beans with the red label. they have a few different ones and they are also a bit seasoned with onion, garlic and either cilantro (yeah, not) or bell pepper. as I just paid attention to the non-cilantro, I bought a can of regular red beans and a black bean soup last time which turned out to actually be a great mix. two cans of beans are the perfect amount for my taste. for the seasoneing, if you like it spicy, which I do, add some sriracha and/or red pepper flakes. and as with all tomato dishes, add some sweetness. I like to use about a tsp of either maple syrup or brown sugar. once everything is mixed together, let it cook for about an hour or even longer on low heat.
back home we would usually eat chili with bread, baguette preferably. here people eat it with rice, tortilla chips (very yummy) and also serve it with a tbsp of sour cream (totally my thing) and some grated cheese (I should really add this to my shopping list next time).
eat, cook and more 