Chili!

It seems appropriate to post a chili recipe in anticipation of Super Bowl weekend. I am aware that there are different styles of chili. My husband makes a red chili he learned in New Mexico. I've had Texas and Cincinnati style chili. I've had white chili. What I don't know is what style chili I make. It's the chili my mom makes. It's what I grew up knowing was chili. Maybe it's Eastern chili. I am open for names for this style chili!

First, brown 1 lb. ground meat. I usually use beef but turkey or venison work well too. I find it to be really useful to brown the meat in 2 or 3 batches so as to not crowd the pan. If you want to just use one pot brown 1 batch and then move it to a bowl while you brown the next batch. Then you can toss all the browned meat back in before, during, or after you saute the veggies.

Add more oil to the pan. Dice and saute 1 onion. Add 1/2 a green pepper, diced and 1 fresh jalapeno, also diced. After these are close to being done add 3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed. Also, add crushed red pepper to your taste. I crushed a whole dried cayenne pepper from our garden this past summer.

Next add the spices before any liquid so that the powders can all toast a bit on the hot mostly dry pan bottom. I used 3T chili powder. I prefer Penzey's regular chili powder. I also added 1T cumin, 1t black pepper, 1t onion powder, and 1/2t salt.

Now it's time for the liquid. Add a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes. I rinsed the can with about 1/4C water and added that too. Add a 15.5 oz. can of red kidney beans or whatever kind of beans you like. Add a 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes. This time I used diced tomatoes with green chilis. Add 1/3C red wine, 1T dried oregano, and 1t dried basil.

I love this chili topped with cheese or sour cream. Or on top of a baked potato. Or served with cornbread. All the way around, it's just delicious chili of whatever style it is!