Monday, February 11, 2008

Kitchen Sink Chili

It's definitely the time of year for warm foods, and since it's well below zero outside, a "kitchen sink" chili was the perfect thing for this week.

The things we put together for a fantastic chili (all luckily already in the pantry or fridge, so no extra grocery trips out into the cold):

2 T. grapeseed oil
one medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
two shallots, peeled and chopped fine
a few mushrooms, chopped
three large carrots, peeled and chopped
a pound of ground bison
half a green pepper, diced
a 15 oz. can of whole, stewed, diced tomatoes
two 15 oz cans of tomato sauce
two russett potatoes, washed and cubed
most of a 15 oz can of pickled nopalitos (cactus), drained, separated, and chopped
3 T. Penzey's chili powder
2 t. Penzey's turkish seasoning
1 T. hungarian paprika
black/white peppercorn mix, fresh ground to taste
1/2 t. salt
dash of pick-a-pepper
dash of chipotle hot sauce

Over medium heat in a stock pot, warm the grapeseed oil to hot but not smoking. Add the onion and shallot and sautee until translucent. Add the bison, sautee until cooked. Add everything but the seasonings, and cook at a simmer for appx. 40 minutes. Season and simmer for five minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste. Serve with garnishes such as sour cream, chopped scallions, chopped black olives, cilantro, grated cheese, and/or other favorite chili garnishes.

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