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Recipes
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Wednesday, 18 February 2009 05:00 |
This recipe won for best chili at a work chili cookoff contest.
2 medium/large onions
1 tbls garlic paste
500g (1 lb) ground lean pork
500g (1 lb) ground lean beef
500g (1 lb) ground lean turkey
2 tbls paprika (sweet not hot paprika)
1 tbls ground cumin (more or less, depending on taste)
½ tsp turmeric (it wouldn't hurt to add upto 1 tsp)
¼ tsp chili powder (depends on how hot your chili powder is and how hot you like your chili)1 tbls salt
½ tbls ground pepper
1 bottle (650 ml) mild chunky salsa
1 can (540 ml, 19 fl oz) red beans
1 can (540 ml, 19 fl oz) white beans
1 can (540 ml, 19 fl oz) black beans
4 Medium bay leaves
fresh cilantro (coriander) - the leaves, not the root
- Peel and chop the onions. Place in pot.
- Add garlic paste (or chopped up garlic). I use about 1 tbls. But you can add more or less according to taste.
- Throw in the ground meat.
- Add the spices: paprika, cumin, turmeric, chili, salt, and pepper.
- Use a spoon to break up the meat and sort of mix things together (no need to over do it)
- Cook over low heat until meat it cooked. Mixing occasionally to move cooked meat from the bottom up and push uncooked meat down, also to break up big lumps of meat. Cook with a cover on the pot. There is no need to add oil, plenty of liquid will come from the meats and onions.
- Once the meat is cooked, add the Salsa. Stir.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Open and drain the beans. Rinse the beans. Add the beans to the mix. Stir till things are nicely blended.
- Add bay leaves. Let them sit on top for a few moments to soften, then mix them into the chili.
- Wash and chop cilantro (coriander). I added about 2 tbls - but this will depend on how coarsely or finely you chopped the cilantro. I had the long cilantro with the root attached. I select one plant and used that. But it all depends on your taste.
- Cover and cook for a while. You will need to stir occasionally - probably every 10 -15 minutes (because the chili is very thick).
- Simmer for about 1 hour (dopn't forget to stir every 10 minutes or so).
- After it is cooked, remove the bay leaves.
You can substitute a can of diced tomatoes for the Salsa.
The key to taste is different meats. You could substitute horse, veal, venison, or bison for the beef. Ostrich or emu for the turkey. Boar for the pork. I personally do not like ground chicken - yechhh!
For optimal flavour mixing, prepare 48 hours before serving (and store in the fridge).
You can add more chili, use a spicier salsa, omit the cilantro, add more garlic, use chopped up sausages or other meats.
Always feel free to customize. (Note: My sister says there is hardly any chili powder in this and so it shouldn't be called a chili. My experience is that most people can't handle the heat, so I kept it toned down.)
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