Chili Recipe - Jason's Pick

Jason here. As a follow up to Kayleigh’s Chili recipe, I thought I would post mine. I like to take a different spin on chili’s and have adapted my own recipe from what can traditionally be called a chili. While I have included ingredient amounts below, I tend to do rough estimates and alter the amount widely depending on the mood I am in. For instance, more mushrooms, potatoes, peppers, and beans for a healthier chili, or more beef, pepperoni, and sometimes bacon or sausage for a meatier chili.

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef

½ onion diced

1 can light red kidney beans

1 can dark red kidney beans

2 portabella mushrooms, chopped

2 Large Russet Potatoes, chopped

1 tomato, diced

1 green pepper, diced

3 cups pasta sauce

½ cup sliced pepperoni

1/3 cup corn flour

1 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon red pepper

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1.       Dice onion, green pepper, and chop mushrooms. Set aside in small bowl.

2.       Chop and blanch the potatoes. They will finish cooking in the chili later.

3.       Brown the ground beef in a large skillet.

4.       Drain ground beef and add to large pot

5.       Cook the onion, pepper, and mushrooms in the large skillet, then add to large pot

6.       Drain the cans of kidney beans, and add everything remaining to the large pot. Cook on medium heat until the potatoes have finished. Add additional corn clout to desired consistency.

Alternates and serving recommendations

Cube some cheddar cheese and add to bowl just before serving. The cubes melt nicely into the chili and provide bursts of flavor. Additionally leave a few melting cubes on the surface creates a really appetizing presentation.

For a real wow factor, serve in a bread bowl. The consistency is fairly thick so it won’t soak into the bread and make it mushy like some soups and more liquid chilies.

For a spicier chili add some chopped jalapenos, although you might want to switch to red, orange, or yellow pepper instead of green pepper. Switching up the color pepper will allow some additional color variety.

For something with a bit more flavor, add less potato, and more chili powder, red pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and ground black pepper to taste.

For something a bit meatier, cook some bacon well done and add them to bowl just before serving. You can try adding them to the chili, but I’ve found they tend get a bit chewy for my taste. Additionally chop up some sausage and cook it in the skillet. You will most likely need to cook the sausage separately as the ground beef will generate to much liquid for both at once.

Look for some flavored pasta sauces. One of my favorites was a three cheese pasta sauce a local grocer used to sell in New York.