Second Harvest Chili
You may recall, as you followed along with me this past year, how I said we would use some of our frozen and dried summer harvest later. Well, it’s later! It’s a chilly wintery day and time to go to our stash and use some of it to make a big pot of chili. Chili is perfect for the busy holiday season. Shopping, decorating, signing and addressing cards and all the day to day Christmas season activity… you just heat up a bowl and enjoy its goodness. My husband asks for chili every time I ask him what he wants for dinner in the winter anyway, so this should keep him happy for awhile. We will call it Second Harvest Chili for obvious reasons (and I like the sound of it). I use lean ground meat, this time I used beef but my favorite is venison (our spoiled Golden Retriever LOVES venison chili!). So, enjoy the fruits of your labor for the second time around.
Second Harvest Chili
1 ½ pounds lean ground meat such as; beef, turkey, venison or bison
2 onions chopped, equals 1 ½ cups
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoon cumin
2 Tablespoon chili powder
4 cups chili starter (from your freezer)
4 cups tomato sauce (from your freezer)
1 cup chopped tomatoes and juice (from your freezer)
1 dried cayenne
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
1 Tablespoon chopped jalapeño fresh or from your freezer
2-3 (15-ounce) drained canned beans, such as; black, pinto, red or kidney
Optional; crackers, tortilla chips, sour cream, cilantro
Heat a large, 6-8 quart, stockpot over medium-high heat; add meat. Continue to cook and stir until meat begins to brown. Drain meat. I used a really lean beef and had just a bit of fat in the bottom, not enough to warrant draining. Instead I place a paper towel in the pan and using the spoon, I press the paper towel to the bottom of the pot and stir. This soaks up the excess fat and I simply toss the paper towel when I’m done.
Add onions and garlic to meat; stirring, sauté until onions soften 3-5 minutes. Add the paprika, cumin and chili powder and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Stir in the chili starter, tomato sauce, chopped tomatoes, cayenne, oregano and jalapeño. I dry my own oregano and use a palmful. Rub between palms to break up and release the herbs oils. Bring to a boil, turn down heat to a simmer and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until thickened; stirring occasionally. Add your favorite beans or a combination and heat through, about 15 minutes. Add two cans or three if you like lots of beans, I add three. Taste and add salt if you like. Oh, yes remember to remove the dried cayenne or leave it in and see who gets it. Ha Ha.
Ladle into your favorite soup bowls and top with nothing or your favorite toppings. My husband likes his with lots of broken saltines. I like a dollop of sour cream in mine and fresh cilantro if I happen to have any. We always make a fresh batch of cornbread and a big salad to go with it.
