Around Crownsville

Bean-haters Chili — the quiet meal

I love chili.  I remember exactly how my mother made it, and it included plenty of red kidney beans.  For her, like  most of the meals she prepared, chili was a budget-stretcher.  The ground beef went that much further, and it was tasty to me.  I would later discover, not so to others.

When I made chili for my family for the first time years ago, I learned a different lesson. My dear husband enjoyed it, but he was an omnivore like me.    Our boys, on the other hand , turned out to be abeanovores—no-beans-in-the-chili-eaters.    Since beans are nutritious, I persisted to include beans in the chili.  The dog ate very nutritiously.

So, I just stayed away from chili-making.  Pent-up demand for my need to make chili forced me into a momentous decision—chili with no  beans.

With snow falling outside, thoughts of a big pot of hot, flavorful chili provided just the motivation I needed to move beyond the beans.  I had some top sirloin in the freezer and that was the basis for what became an unqualified dinner success.

• 2 lbs top sirloin, partially frozen
• 1 qt. beef stock
• 1 large can of whole tomatoes
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 4 stalks of celery chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• T chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• I smokey chipolte pepper, chipped with seeds
• 4 strips of jalapeño pepper
• 1 bottle of beer – your choice.  Use gluten free beer if necessary
• 2 T dark cocoa
• olive oil

Garnishes-

Sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped, roasted poblanos, chopped onions, home-made tortilla chips, and beans – yes beans,  see recipe at the end of this post.

Cut the partially frozen beef into thin strips, e.g. ¼ “ x 3” – set aside

Chop the onion and celery  and mince the garlic – set aside

Heat a heavy stock pot on the stove;  drizzle olive oil on the bottom.   When the pot and oil are hot, add the beef.  Stir and cook until the beef begins to brown.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Add a little more oil to the pot, then add onions and celery  cooking until they turn translucent and just begin to caramelize. Add the garlic.

Return  the beef to the pot with the onions, celery and garlic.  Stir to combine.  Add cocoa, chili powder, and cumin plus 1-2 T of olive.  Stir. Add tomatoes by squeezing and crushing into pieces with your hands. Add the tomato liquid, stock, and beer.   This mixture will seem to have a lot of liquid, but cooking will take care of that.   Bring to a simmer without covering.  Cook until it cooks down to what you think of as a good chilli consistency, and the meat is very tender..   Serve in bowls with garnishes available for chili lovers.

Preparing the beans:  Open a can of your favorite beans- red, black, navy, etc. into a microwavable bowl.  Add a small can of chopped green chilies and one chopped red onion.  Heat in the microwave until warm.  The bean-lovers can top their chili with a scoop of beans.