Chili

Winter is almost here, or has been here :P ... it's time to cook some hearty and comforting dish like chili.
Every Monday this month my boys having ski lessons up at Mt. Baker, and this year is different because hubby take them  both up there.
Last Monday I made a large pot of chili to welcome them home, and Oh Boy!! they love it so much! after skiing all day long who wouldn't want to come home to a warm and hearty chili!!

I checked some website for the recipe and got really interested to try THIS ONE but I adjusted the spiciness to be mild for my boys, and I use only seeded jalapeno, Anaheim and sweet bell peppers. It came out so good!!
I started the chili in the morning and let it simmer during the day until the boys comes home early evening, the longer you cook it the better the flavor.

My family is not a huge fan of corn bread, so serve it with just plain crackers.

BEEF CHILI

INGREDIENTS :

• 2 lbs. lean ground beef (substitute any meat you like)
• 2 medium yellow onions – chopped
• 1 bulb garlic – finely diced (yep, the entire thing)
• 1 green bell pepper – chopped
• 1 poblano pepper – finely diced
• 1 anaheim pepper – finely diced
• 1 cubanelle pepper – finely diced
• 1 hungarian pepper – finely diced
• 2 serrano peppers – very finely diced (seeded for milder)
• 2 jalepeno peppers – very finely diced (seeded for milder)
• 2 quarts canned crushed tomatoes (substitute 2 – 28oz. cans if store bought diced) – including any juice
• 2 cans dark red kidney beans (15oz.)
• 1 can black beans (15oz.)
• 1 can corn (15oz.) or about 2 cups frozen corn
• 1 can tomato paste (6oz.)
• 2 tsp red pepper sauce (I use Cholula) --> I skipped it

Note :

"If you can’t find the exact peppers mentioned above don’t worry, the key is a large variety – any variety – just be sure to incorporate a mixture of mild and hot peppers according to your palette – your research will be rewarded.

Spices

• 2 Tbsp sweet paprika
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 3 1⁄2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp thyme leaves
• 1 tsp oregano leaves
• 1 tsp baking cocoa
• 1 pinch saffron (Don’t overdo it, use about 15 flakes – this is the secret ingredient!)

METHOD :

1) Brown ground beef in the large stock pot you’ll cook the chili in. Drain if desired, but I don’t. Toss in onions and garlic and cook with beef for 5 minutes. Add all the peppers and cook an additional 5 minutes until peppers are soft.
2) Stir in remaining ingredients except tomato paste and beans. Heat to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer. Continue simmering for 15 minutes.
3) Add tomato paste and stir until completely combined. Stir in the beans and corn. Cover and continue simmering for 1 hour, stirring occasionally covering and uncovering until it reaches desired thickness. Serve in a bowl with your favorite chili fixings.