Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Chili Today Hot Tamale

Such a dumb saying, eh? And when Dean uttered it over dinner last night, it had to be the 1000th time I had heard it. I remember hearing it as a kid. I think it is from some movie like "Trouble right in in River City". But anyways, my chili is a real favourite around here (except with my nephew Caleb who told me it wasn't even food!). It is based on a WW recipe but I have adjusted it so much I can consider it my own now.

Andrea's Chili
2 cups of dried beans. I use 1 cup of black beans and 1 cup of fava beans because those are mine and Rhiannon's favourites. Soak the beans overnight. Rinse and simmer in a large pot for 4 - 6 hours or until they are soft before you start cooking the chili.
Now, start cooking the chili:
1 onion - cut up in medium pieces.
3 cloves of garlic
1 package of Yves Veggie Ground Round. The original recipe called for lean ground turkey. I have never made it with that. You could use real meat but I actually prefer the veggie ground round in this recipe.
Fry up the onion and garlic in a little olive oil in the pot you are going to make the chili in. I make it in my largest pot (which is not super large - just an ordinary big pot). Add the veggie ground round when the onions start to be translucent. It only takes a couple of minutes to fry up veggie ground round. Season it with basil and oregano, chilli powder and cumin. I don't measure. I dump them in.
Once the veggie ground round is seasoned and mixed well with the onion mixture, add all other ingredients, including the beans you have simmered. Make sure to drain the beans first.
2 quart jars of diced canned tomatoes. I don't add any salt to my tomatoes when I can them so I always have to add some salt when I am cooking something like this.
1 cup of sliced celery
2 cups of summer squash peeled and cubed.
2 cups of winter squash peeled and cubed.
1 large green pepper if I have more peppers available, I might add another one. If they are small I would use 2 or 3.
2 - 4 cups of broth I use my own chicken broth but you can use veggie broth (if you wanted to keep it vegetarian) or even just water. Add enough so that the chili is not too thick. It will thicken more as you cook it so you might need to add a bit more. I have never added more than 4 cups total.
Season to taste with more basil, oregano, chili powder and cumin. I use a lot. I never use those piddly little herb bags when I buy my chili powder in bulk, I use the biggest bag they have and I keep it in my second largest spice container which fits more than 4 cups.
The chili is cooked when the squash is cooked.

In Clarke fashion eat the chili over a torn up bun with cheese. I usually eat it on its own but I sometimes make my french bread to go a long with it.

6 comments:

Laura said...

yum! i wonder if we're the only family that eats it on torn up buns?

Andrea said...

Well, my experience is most people think that is a strange way to eat chili. I love it though!

amyleigh said...

a torn up bun is a welcome addition to chili! how could anyone think that's weird? I think THAT's weird. anyways, thanks for the recipe. I'm def gonna try it.

Samantha said...

Oh that sounds so yummy Andrea!! I'm going to make some this weekend. Silly as this sounds, I am usually afraid of squash, but I'm going to conquer that fear and add some in my chili :-)
Serving it over a torn up bun sounds great to me :-) Kind of a simplified version of the bread bowl. I usually have a bun (or two) on the side and use it as a scoop... Thanks for sharing this! :-)

Anonymous said...

Sounds as good as mine. I also add Worsestershire sauce, a shot of Balsimic vinigar along with a drop of stevia. A lot of people serve chili on rice. Squash and Pumkin is good in just about anything. I guess I have lived a sheltered life---never heard the saying before.

Andrea said...

Mom, I am pretty sure I have heard dad say it a couple hundred times!