Thursday, February 25, 2010
2 Recipe #75: Corey's Kick-Ass Chili Con Carne
Here's another original recipe for chili, created by yours truly. This recipe is a favorite in our household. Hope you like it too!
Corey's Kick-Ass Chili Con Carne
Ingredients:
2 lbs. 93% fat-free ground beef (or whatever the highest percentage low-fat beef you can find!)
1 8 oz. can (plain/unflavored) tomato sauce
1 c. fresh tomatoes, diced (or, if you don't have fresh, use 1 8 oz. can of diced tomatoes)
2 c. water (use the above 8 oz. tomato sauce can & fill it twice)
1 c. yellow onion, diced (about 1/2 an onion)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. mild Mexican chili powder, or to taste (use 1/4 c. for milder flavor)
4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 Tbsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper, or to taste (1/2 tsp. for milder flavor)
1/2 c. masa harina de maiz (corn flour)
6 oz. can tomato paste
1/2 c. red bell pepper, roughly chopped
8 oz. pre-cooked kidney beans (Can sizes only seem to come in 10.5, 15, & 16 oz.)
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (for garnish)
Directions:
1. Brown 2 lbs. ground beef. Drain fat. (Useful tip: Use a pan drainer to drain most of the liquid, & then drain remaining liquid with a heat-resistant turkey baster. It works like a charm!)
2. Return to heat. Add onions & cook until translucent. The add garlic & cook until softened. (Do not brown onions or garlic.)
3. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, & 2 c. water, & stir.
4. Add all spices. (For hot chili, use 1 tsp. Cayenne pepper. For medium chili, use 1/2 tsp. For mild chili, omit altogether.)
5. Cover & simmer 30 minutes or until meat is tender, stirring occasionally.
6. Mix masa flour with 1 c. hot water. Add masa flour mixture, tomato paste, red bell pepper, & kidney beans, & stir into chili. Simmer 15-20 more minutes. Let cool.
7. Garnish with cilantro & serve.
Yield: Serves 4-6.
Optional Ingredients: Melted chocolate adds a nice touch: Melt a tiny bit of chocolate into the chili during the last 15 minutes of cooking. You don't want to add too much -- just a hint.
Chef's Notes: If you are serving less than the above yield, either cut the recipe accordingly, or freeze the leftovers; chili tastes really good after it's been frozen. :) Also, if you think you'll be making this recipe frequently, you can always make multiples of the spice mixture portions in advance (minus the fresh onions & garlic, of course), & store them (i.e., in Ziploc baggies) for future use.
2 comments:
wow , that was awesome, I used 1/2 teas of cayenne, and it was perfect, a little hot for the kids. I was leary to put in the 1/2 c chilli powder, so i used a 1/4 c, and then 1/2 of the flower mixture... Great tate.
Hi Joe,
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! I probably should've put a disclaimer regarding the heat factor of this recipe. LOL. Based on the amount of hot ingredients called for in the above recipe, you can probably tell that I like my food extra hot. :) However, I realize that not everyone can hack the heat, so, I've incorporated your recipe alterations/suggestions into the recipe for those people who like milder chili. Thanks so much for your feedback. :)
-Corey
Post a Comment
I may or may not know you, but love reading your comments!
Have you tried this recipe? If so, please leave a comment or post your reaction to let me know what you think.
If you like this post, then please consider subscribing to my RSS feed. You can also subscribe by email and have new posts sent directly to your inbox.