That doesn't have to many ingredients. Karen has looked for a recipe, but theyu all had to many ingredients. She wants something plain, and simple, but tastes good.
Who Has A Good Chili Recipe?
- Thread starter pegasus216
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If this is too many ingredients, then cut back on the bell peppers or chili peppers. The jalapenos are nice but strictly optional. And some people don't like mushrooms. But for my chili, you need some number of ingredients, or else it's not chili. (See the "Southwest stew" reference.)
Ingredients:
To me, chili is Southwest stew. I mean, maybe there’s some chili trade group somewhere that has rules for these things, but to my thinking, you can’t put rules on stew. You can just put it together.
I love chili. It tastes great, with complexity, it tastes and feels nutritious, and especially on a homophonic chilly day, it’s wonderfully warming. So let’s make some.
I figure a pound of meat will feed about four or five reasonably hungry people, so using that for a batch will last both Grandma and me for about two meals, plus maybe a nighttime snack and a lunch.
I pour some olive oil in a deep skillet and start browning the meat. Sirloin chunks are mighty tasty, but ground beef works fine. For me, the leaner the better. In fact, after the heart attack, I switched to ground turkey, and to my surprise, no one really noticed it. Unless I told them, of course.
While the meat’s browning, I chop up two or three slices of onion and throw them in. I don’t much care if I use yellow, white, or red onion. If you have a favorite taste, use that one. My preference is to press a couple cloves of fresh garlic and throw them in, but if not, use garlic powder in the next paragraph.
About this time, I figure I better start spicing it up, so I’ll sprinkle (when I say “sprinkle,” I mean, “powder generously”) chili powder, crushed red pepper, cilantro, maybe lemon and black pepper on it. And cumin. You can’t forget the cumin. Chili powder has the chili name, but it’s cumin that has that special chili taste. I’ve also got this spice bottle that’s called “Latin spices.” I’ll grind that on there too. The garlic powder, if you didn't put in the fresh while the meat and peppers and onion were browning.
Then I start slicing up the chili peppers and bell peppers. For the chili peppers, I use pasilla/poblano, about one good-sized one, and Anaheim, about one good-sized one. For bell peppers, I like the orange, yellow, and red. That variety of color just adds a nice like to the dish. I slice off about a side of each one.
Now, if you like your chili spicy, and I do, you can use jalapenos, serranos, or habaneros. Just remember two things: 1) The smaller you slice it and the more seeds you leave in, the hotter it’ll be. And 2) If you’re cooking for others, cook to their tastes in temperature, not yours. I’ve learned that I get a lot more compliments as a cook if I don’t overpower the audience. So I don’t use these peppers at this stage.
Despite all that, I will put aside one or two jalapenos. I don’t slice them up. You’ll see.
So I chunk up the chili and bell peppers, throwing the chili pepper chunks in first because they’re better if they cook enough to get tender and blended, and then work on the bell peppers. The meat’s pretty brown by now, and the onion is nicely cooked. If it’s looking dry, I’ll throw in some water. The water helps the ingredients stay tender as they sizzle. Then I throw in the peppers. Not the jalapeno, though. Not yet.
Next, a regular can of tomatoes. If you think tomatoes are a hideous aberration to proper chili, then tell me your alternative. But I like my chili, my family likes my chili, and I’m sticking to it. I like to buy canned tomatoes that are Mexican style or chili style or something like that, because I figure some extra seasoning from the packager can’t hurt. So throw in the tomatoes. Well, not the can. Pour them out of the can. Then put the can aside.
Next, a can of beans. I used to use chili beans. Now, because of that danged heart attack, I use black beans, which the heart people said were healthier. And you know what? They taste just fine. However, I do like to drain the fluid off and then throw the beans in. Again, keep the can itself out of the skillet.
So now you’ve got a nice-looking pot of chili fixins. I then take three or four fresh mushrooms, slice them, and throw them in. I've gotten to like brown mushrooms lately over white mushrooms. If I have green onion, I’ll chop some of that up too – can’t hurt.
Then I put in those one or two jalapenos, whole, and cover them up with the chili mixture. That way, that good jalapeno taste can leach subtly out into the chili but without getting a big dose of heat to go with it.
Next, I grab some picante sauce and throw it in. How much? Oh, I grab the jar and make it a couple glops.
Add water if you need to, stir it up, and then taste-test. Keep seasoning or adding picante to taste. I’m often conservative starting out with the chili powder and have to add more in. Don’t forget to wash off the spoon after taste-testing, just in case someone saw you.
the chili on simmer
If you’re cooking to eat quick, crank up the heat. If it’s going to be a while, tone it down and let it simmer some.
And that’s my chili. Grab a spork and cup or bowl, and dig in. And when you put it in the fridge, then it tends to blend more, and the reheated chili the next day often tastes better.
Oh, yeah. I like to melt cheddar or pepper jack on the top of my bowl. Grandma likes sour cream on hers.
One more thing I like about chili. You can drink anything with it. I love a slug of cold milk with it. Or a beer. Or a robust red wine.
Ingredients:
- A pound of meat. If you want your chili meaty and robust, add a pound of chorizo.
- At lease a side off a yellow, red, and orange bell pepper.
- A poblano/pasilla pepper and an Anaheim pepper.
- One or two jalapeno peppers – but don’t slice them up.
- An onion with a couple slices left to it.
- A can of tomatoes, maybe Mexican or chili style.
- A can of beans – I use black beans.
- Mushrooms, if you like ‘em.
- Chili powder, cumin, crushed red pepper, garlic (powder or fresh), cilantro, and whatever other Latin spices you like.
- Salsa.
To me, chili is Southwest stew. I mean, maybe there’s some chili trade group somewhere that has rules for these things, but to my thinking, you can’t put rules on stew. You can just put it together.
I love chili. It tastes great, with complexity, it tastes and feels nutritious, and especially on a homophonic chilly day, it’s wonderfully warming. So let’s make some.
I figure a pound of meat will feed about four or five reasonably hungry people, so using that for a batch will last both Grandma and me for about two meals, plus maybe a nighttime snack and a lunch.
I pour some olive oil in a deep skillet and start browning the meat. Sirloin chunks are mighty tasty, but ground beef works fine. For me, the leaner the better. In fact, after the heart attack, I switched to ground turkey, and to my surprise, no one really noticed it. Unless I told them, of course.
While the meat’s browning, I chop up two or three slices of onion and throw them in. I don’t much care if I use yellow, white, or red onion. If you have a favorite taste, use that one. My preference is to press a couple cloves of fresh garlic and throw them in, but if not, use garlic powder in the next paragraph.
About this time, I figure I better start spicing it up, so I’ll sprinkle (when I say “sprinkle,” I mean, “powder generously”) chili powder, crushed red pepper, cilantro, maybe lemon and black pepper on it. And cumin. You can’t forget the cumin. Chili powder has the chili name, but it’s cumin that has that special chili taste. I’ve also got this spice bottle that’s called “Latin spices.” I’ll grind that on there too. The garlic powder, if you didn't put in the fresh while the meat and peppers and onion were browning.
Then I start slicing up the chili peppers and bell peppers. For the chili peppers, I use pasilla/poblano, about one good-sized one, and Anaheim, about one good-sized one. For bell peppers, I like the orange, yellow, and red. That variety of color just adds a nice like to the dish. I slice off about a side of each one.
Now, if you like your chili spicy, and I do, you can use jalapenos, serranos, or habaneros. Just remember two things: 1) The smaller you slice it and the more seeds you leave in, the hotter it’ll be. And 2) If you’re cooking for others, cook to their tastes in temperature, not yours. I’ve learned that I get a lot more compliments as a cook if I don’t overpower the audience. So I don’t use these peppers at this stage.
Despite all that, I will put aside one or two jalapenos. I don’t slice them up. You’ll see.
So I chunk up the chili and bell peppers, throwing the chili pepper chunks in first because they’re better if they cook enough to get tender and blended, and then work on the bell peppers. The meat’s pretty brown by now, and the onion is nicely cooked. If it’s looking dry, I’ll throw in some water. The water helps the ingredients stay tender as they sizzle. Then I throw in the peppers. Not the jalapeno, though. Not yet.
Next, a regular can of tomatoes. If you think tomatoes are a hideous aberration to proper chili, then tell me your alternative. But I like my chili, my family likes my chili, and I’m sticking to it. I like to buy canned tomatoes that are Mexican style or chili style or something like that, because I figure some extra seasoning from the packager can’t hurt. So throw in the tomatoes. Well, not the can. Pour them out of the can. Then put the can aside.
Next, a can of beans. I used to use chili beans. Now, because of that danged heart attack, I use black beans, which the heart people said were healthier. And you know what? They taste just fine. However, I do like to drain the fluid off and then throw the beans in. Again, keep the can itself out of the skillet.
So now you’ve got a nice-looking pot of chili fixins. I then take three or four fresh mushrooms, slice them, and throw them in. I've gotten to like brown mushrooms lately over white mushrooms. If I have green onion, I’ll chop some of that up too – can’t hurt.
Then I put in those one or two jalapenos, whole, and cover them up with the chili mixture. That way, that good jalapeno taste can leach subtly out into the chili but without getting a big dose of heat to go with it.
Next, I grab some picante sauce and throw it in. How much? Oh, I grab the jar and make it a couple glops.
Add water if you need to, stir it up, and then taste-test. Keep seasoning or adding picante to taste. I’m often conservative starting out with the chili powder and have to add more in. Don’t forget to wash off the spoon after taste-testing, just in case someone saw you.
the chili on simmer
If you’re cooking to eat quick, crank up the heat. If it’s going to be a while, tone it down and let it simmer some.
And that’s my chili. Grab a spork and cup or bowl, and dig in. And when you put it in the fridge, then it tends to blend more, and the reheated chili the next day often tastes better.
Oh, yeah. I like to melt cheddar or pepper jack on the top of my bowl. Grandma likes sour cream on hers.
One more thing I like about chili. You can drink anything with it. I love a slug of cold milk with it. Or a beer. Or a robust red wine.
I should have added that I want a recipe for the crockpot. Can I do your recipe in the crackpot, Grandpa? Just brown the meat first?
Yes. For me, though, the beans in the chili get a bit mushy with crockpot cooking, but that's just my taste. I've simmered chili all day long for party days, and no one's complained.
2 lb Ground beef (or other beef)
1 Cup Chopped fresh parsley
1 large Chopped onion
3 Chopped jalapeno peppers
2 Chopped bell peppers
3.5 cups Cooked pinto beans
2 cans Crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
3 tbsp Chili powder
3 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black pepper
3 cloves Minced Garlic
3 tbsp Ground cumin
12 oz Beer
Brown meat with parsely until all pink is gone. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 2 hours
Easy, Easy This is just my basic guide - I add and adjust as I see fit
1 Cup Chopped fresh parsley
1 large Chopped onion
3 Chopped jalapeno peppers
2 Chopped bell peppers
3.5 cups Cooked pinto beans
2 cans Crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
3 tbsp Chili powder
3 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black pepper
3 cloves Minced Garlic
3 tbsp Ground cumin
12 oz Beer
Brown meat with parsely until all pink is gone. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 2 hours
Easy, Easy This is just my basic guide - I add and adjust as I see fit
My pleasure! I've got variations on the above recipe, but that's the basic one. Like I said... I love chili. I'd love to make good green chili, but I've never gotten it quite right.
And cornbread from James Beard. This is the simplest and best
CORN BREAD
.5 cup All purpose flour
1.5 cups Corn meal
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
3 tsp Baking powder
3 Eggs (well beaten)
1 cup Milk
.25 cup Cream
.33 cup Melted butter
Preheat the oven to 400. Butter an 8.5 x 11 inch baking pan. Sift the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar and baking powder into a large bowl, to mix the ingredients thoroughly and distribute the baking powder evenly. Beat in the eggs and milk with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Beat in the cream and lastly, the melted butter. Pour into the buttered pan and bake for 18 to 20 minutes.
CORN BREAD
.5 cup All purpose flour
1.5 cups Corn meal
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
3 tsp Baking powder
3 Eggs (well beaten)
1 cup Milk
.25 cup Cream
.33 cup Melted butter
Preheat the oven to 400. Butter an 8.5 x 11 inch baking pan. Sift the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar and baking powder into a large bowl, to mix the ingredients thoroughly and distribute the baking powder evenly. Beat in the eggs and milk with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Beat in the cream and lastly, the melted butter. Pour into the buttered pan and bake for 18 to 20 minutes.
This is my favorite from Allrecipes.com
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground turkey
-
1/2 onion, chopped
-
2 cups chicken broth
-
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
-
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
-
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
-
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
-
1 tablespoon minced garlic -
2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder -
1 teaspoon paprika -
1 teaspoon dried oregano -
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin -
salt and ground black pepper to taste -
2 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
- PREP 10 mins
- COOK 45 mins
- READY IN 55 mins
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and stir in the ground turkey. Cook and stir until the turkey is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, black beans, kidney beans, refried beans, garlic, chili powder, paprika, oregano, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Sprinkle each bowl with a teaspoon of Cheddar cheese, if desired.
My wife's aunt makes the greatest chili. Everyone raves about it. She won't give up the recipe... The bitch! 
Thanks everyone! I am going to let Karen choose which one she wants to try.
Open can
Dump in pot
Heat
Pour in bowl
Sprinkle with cheese
Then enjoy
...I have known no bad chili recipes unless you count the Alpo with tomato soup excuse for same from the school cafeteria back in the day...