Nacho Topped Chili

So, what are you doing for Super Bowl? In my last post, I might have mentioned my football team is going to the Super Bowl (Go 49ers!!!)! Technically, it is not my football team—I am merely a fan, but they are still going to the Super Bowl!

My team going to the Super Bowl does put me in a slightly awkward position though. I usually like to focus on the food, the socializing and the commercials at the Super Bowl party, and I’m committed to doing all of these things this year, in addition to concentrating on the game. How am I going to do this you ask? I’m not really sure, but I hope to come up with something soon.

I’m also not sure what food to bring for the party. A friend at work handed me a fun recipe for chicken bites I might have to try, or I might bring this Nacho Topped Chili. I made this chili for my family during one of the playoff games to test it out. My son and husband loved it. I loved it too since it combines two of my favorite things to eat chili and nachos, and it did it beautifully! The chili is spicy and flavorful and the nacho topping makes the chili fun and delicious.

The original chili is a meat only chili, but I happen to like beans, so I added them to the chili too. I tested the recipe with the kidney beans and without, and my family preferred them with the kidney beans.  

Nacho Topped Chili 
Adapted from Rachael Ray’s Week in a Day
Printable Recipe
4 poblano peppers
2 large jalapeno peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds lean ground beef (no more than 10% fat)
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon coriander
1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
2 tablespoons chili powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup tomato paste
1 12-ounce bottle beer (Rachael recommends Negra Modela, but I used Budweiser since that’s what I had on hand)
2 cups beef stock
2 14-ounce cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 bag corn tortilla chips
1 16-ounce can spicy refried beans
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 Fresno red chili pepper
½ cup pickled sliced jalapeno peppers
2 green onions, sliced

Place the poblano peppers and jalapeno peppers on a baking sheet and broil them until the skin is blackened. Place the charred peppers in a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap until the peppers are cool enough to handle. Peel, stem and seed the peppers, and place into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture is pureed.

While the peppers are roasting, heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the meat and brown well. Add the onions, garlic, and cook until the onions are softened. Add the cumin, coriander, paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, and cook until fragrant, about one minute. Add the tomato paste and cook for another minute. Add the beer, and let it bubble a minute or two to cook off the alcohol. Add the beef stock, kidney beans and pureed peppers, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the chili is thickened and the flavors have combined.

Place the chili in a casserole dish (your serving dish of choice) and top it with the tortilla chips. Dot the tortilla chips with the refried beans, and add the shredded cheese. Place the chili topped nachos in a preheated 400°F oven until the beans are warm and the cheese has melted. Garnish with sliced peppers and green onions. Serve.

Game Day Chili Con Carne

I laughed when I realized I inadvertently chose a red bowl with a red and gold napkin for the picture of my Chili Con Carne.  When I chose the bowl, I knew the 49ers (red and gold) were in the playoffs, but I didn’t think they would go very far.  I couldn’t believe the 49ers won their nail-biting game last week!  And, I can’t believe they will be playing this weekend for a place in the Super Bowl!  The 49ers haven’t been in the playoffs for nine years, and they haven’t been to a Super Bowl since 1994.  You have to understand, when I moved to northern California, the 49ers were in the middle of a winning streak earning playoff spots in 14 of the 17 years between 1986 and 2002.  Don’t tell anyone, but I believe in the sports motto of, “If you can't be with the team you love, love the team your with.”  And it was easy to do when I moved to a place with a winning team!  But, the last few years have been hard on die hard 49er fans.

Me?  I chose to ignore the fact my team wasn’t winning by immersing myself in planning and executing the perfect Super Bowl party food.  I was, also, happy not to have to cheer against my team in order to win the football pool.  You know, “Come on 49ers! Just take a safety, and I could win 100 bucks!”  It just seems wrong to cheer that way.  I’m better off concentrating on the food.

I have brought countless snacks and appetizers to Super Bowl parties in the last 10 years.  And, last year my chili even won second place in a chili cook off!  I don’t know what I’ll make this year, but if we are invited to another chili cook-off, this recipe for Chili Con Carne might win 1^st place!  This chili is spicy and meaty, and I really like what the fresh poblano and jalapeno do to the flavor.

I’m not sure how the 49ers will do in their game on Sunday, but I know I’ll be in the kitchen with the food, trying not to hope for a safety in order to win the football pool!

Chili Con Carne

Adapted from Fine Cooking’s One Pot Meals

Printable Recipe

2 pounds beef chuck, trimmed of all visible fat and cut into ½ inch cubes

2 Tablespoons canola oil, separated

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 medium poblano chile, seeded and chopped

1 large jalapeno chile, seeded and diced

3 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 Tablespoon ground ancho chile

1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground chipolte chile

1 ½ teaspoons dried Mexican oregano

Kosher salt

1 14½ ounce can petite diced tomatoes

2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice, separated

2 15 ounce cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Toppings

Shredded cheddar cheese

Cubed avocado

Diced red onion

Chopped fresh cilantro

Season the cubed meat with ¼ teaspoon of salt.  Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add half the meat, and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes total.  Remove the meat to a plate.  Repeat with another two teaspoons of oil and the other half of the meat.  Transfer the second batch of meat to the plate, and set aside.  Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to the Dutch oven, and add the onion, poblano and jalapeno, and cook until softened, about 4 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the ancho chile, cumin, coriander, chipolte chile, and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Return the beef to the Dutch oven with any juices, and add 2½ cups of water, the tomatoes and their juices, 1 tablespoon of lime juice, and 1 teaspoon of salt.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered for 1½ hours.  Uncover and continue cooking for another 30 minutes, or until the meat is tender.  Stir in the beans, and raise the heat to medium high.  Cook until the beans are heated through, about 5 minutes.  Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of lime juice, and season to taste with salt.

Top with cheddar cheese, avocado, red onion and cilantro, and serve.

Beef and Bean Chili

My friend Barb moved to Nashville over the summer, and she recently sent a picture of the trees in her backyard with their vibrant hues of red and yellow. My backyard is full of trees that don’t turn color in the fall, so I have to look for other signs of the changing of the season.  Well, we have turned our clocks back and turned the house heater on, so I know it’s fall. 

During the first week of the time change, I’m always in a panic to get dinner on the table when I get home from work.  I guess I get into a rush thinking it is almost time for bed.  I rushed dinner so much on Monday night, we were finished and the dishes were done by 6:15pm!  I hardly knew what to do with myself for the rest of the evening! 

Once we change the clocks, I know I have to change what I plan for dinner.  I can no longer ask Les to barbeque on a weeknight (our backyard is too dark to barbeque in the winter), so I have to have some other dinner standbys.  And, nothing says fall to me like a pot of chili. 

I love to have a pot of this chili ready for a weeknight meal.  This recipe is easy to put together.  I will cook this chili on a weeknight if I have some time, but I am more likely to make it on the weekend and heat it up for a quick weeknight meal.  I usually serve this tasty chili with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and chopped onions, but I will also whip up a batch of cornbread to go with it.  This chili is low fat with lots of fiber, so I love to have leftovers to take with me for lunch during the week.

Beef and Bean Chili
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine March 1990
Printable Recipe
1 pound lean ground beef
2 large onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 14 ½ oz cans low sodium dark red kidney beans (do not drain the beans)
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 14 ½ oz can fire roasted tomatoes
1 8 oz can diced green chili peppers

In a large pot, brown the ground beef and onion until the meat is tender and the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in the chili powder, oregano, salt, red pepper and black pepper, and heat for another minute.  Add the undrained kidney beans, tomatoes, and green chili peppers, and bring to a boil.  Cook uncovered for 1½ hours, or until the chili is dark in color and the desired consistency.  Makes 12 1-cup servings.

Chili for a Crowd

You would think summer was over with all the soup and chili I have been craving lately. I had been craving Chili for a Crowd ever since my friend Shannon brought it to a dinner in the park (the last one before school started). I helped myself to a bowl with all the fixing, and I loved it. The chili has a complex flavor I have never tasted before in a chili. Shannon got this recipe out of the Silver Palate Cookbook, but she says that she uses this recipe as more of a spice guide than a true recipe. Sometimes she adds different beans sometimes she adds beer instead of the wine the recipe calls for. So, I felt free to try out my own adaptations when I made it. Of course I had to order a copy of the Silver Palate Cookbook from Amazon. I never owned a copy of my own. I did own a copy of the New Basics Cookbook by the same authors, but I got rid of it in order downsize my cookbook collection when we moved, but I had never made anything from it.

My cookbook came, so I could finally try the recipe on my own. The title is certainly correct. The recipe in the book could feed an army! I was trying to cut it down 75% but I started to get confused with the spice math, so I decided to cut it down 50% to save the top of my head from exploding. I served it for dinner one night, and I froze the rest for another meal.

I made the recipe my own by adding some green chilies for interest, and I used more tomatoes and beans than the recipe called for, and I added a bottle of beer instead of the ¼ cup of burgundy the recipe called for. I did add the whole olives, but I don’t recommend it. The olives tasted funny after they had been in the chili for a while. If you would like olives have them as a topping.

My friend Melissa tasted it (I had it for lunch on Tuesday) and she immediately pictured it as the meat topping on nachos. She told me today she has been craving nachos ever since she tasted the chili.

Chili for a Crowd
Adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins

¼ cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1lb sweet Italian sausage (removed meat from the casings)
4lbs ground chuck
2 ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can tomato paste
1 ½ Tablespoon minced garlic
¼ cup cumin
½ cup chili powder
¼ cup Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons salt
2 Tablespoons dried basil
2 Tablespoons dried oregano
56 oz Italian plum tomatoes
14.5 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 6 oz cans diced chilies
1 bottle of beer
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
4 cans of beans (I used 2 cans of kidney beans and 2 cans of black beans)

Heat the olive oil in a very large heavy pot and add the onions and cook until tender. Crumble the Italian sausage and the ground beef into the pot and cook over medium heat until the meat is well browned. Scoop out as much of the fat as possible. Turn the heat to low and stir in the black pepper, minced garlic, cumin, chili powder, mustard, salt, basil and oregano. Add the drained tomatoes, beer, lemon juice, dill, parsley and beans. Stir well and bring to a boil then lower the temperature and simmer for 20 minutes.

Top with: sour cream, chives, olives, shredded cheese and tortilla chips. Makes about 20 servings.