The Official Chazhound Recipe Thread

[hanslynch]

We substitute most of our recipes that call for ground beef with ground turkey as well and all of the sausage that we eat at home is ground turkey. I take that back, we eat bratwurst from time to time and that is ground pork.

The linguini with basil and tomatoes sounds fantastic. Light and fresh.

[Gempress]

I was thinking about what to make for dinner. Since this weather is sooo cold over here, I thought it would be fun to post our favorite cold weather recipes.

Here's what's for dinner at my house tonight:

REAL Chili

*WARNING. This recipe has some kick to it. If you like your chili very mild, don't cook this stuff!*

4 lbs coarsely ground beef + 1 lb ground lamb. But if you prefer, just throw in enough ground meat to equal 5 lbs. I've used everything from turkey to pork to goat in my chili.
1 stalk of celery, minced
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons cumin
4-6 tablespoons of chili powder. I make my own by grinding up a mixture of dried chiles.
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 jar of salsa. Size of the jar depends on how tomato-y you like your chili. I use homemade on this, too, but you can just buy it. It can be mild or super hot, depending on your preference.
cayenne pepper
1 can of chipotle peppers (you can find it in the Mexican ethnic isle)
1 bottle of beer
3 bay leaves
4 tablespoons corn starch
salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
beef broth

Brown the onions and celery in a large pot, over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, then the ground beef. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook until beef is well-browned, and drain off excess fat is possible. Ideally, the beef should be sticking a bit to the bottom of the pan. Those little browned bits (browned, not burnt) give an awesome flavor.

Add the beer and salsa. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot until the aforementioned browned bits come loose and dissolve. Add all the bay leaves and 3/4 of the chili powder.

Open the can of chipotle peppers and dice them finely. This can be messy. I find the best way to do this is to just leave the peppers in the open can. Then, stick your kitchen shears in the can and give it a series of good snips. Put all the chiles (liquid included) into the chili.

Turn your heat down to low and simmer for 2-3 hours. If/when your chili needs more liquid, use some beef broth.

After simmering, add the cilantro and the remainder of the chili powder. Check for seasoning. Give it a taste test and adjust flavors accordingly. You'll notice that the chipotle added a nice, smooth heat. Depending on your taste, you might find cayenne pepper unneccessary. But if you want it hotter, add some cayenne.

For the last step, you want to thicken your chili. Pour a bit of beef broth (maybe 2-3 ounces) into a bowl. Add the cornstarch. Cornstarch can be tricky to combine into liquid. I find the best way is to use your *clean* fingers. Simply mix it around and work the lumps out until it's completely dissolved. Then add the broth/cornstarch mixture to the chili and stir immediately. The chili should thicken quickly into a very nice, smooth consistancy.

Then it's time to eat! I eat my chili served over a bowl of steaming white rice. It's also good with corn chips and a little cheese.

You may notice that there are no beans in this chili. BAH! *sniffs and turns up nose* Beans are an insult to real chili, IMHO. Many of the chili contests around here actually have a strict "no beans" rule.

Enjoy!

[Renee750il]

Heheh . . . where's the kick, Gem? Or do you grind habaneros in your chili powder?

[hanslynch]

Wow,

A whole can of chipolte peppers. That would make it just a little bit hot for. I added two to a recipe a month or so ago and you could feel the heat.

[ToscasMom]

I love hot. I also love this chili recipe. I'm drooling here.

[Gempress]

Originally Posted by Renee750il

Heheh . . . where's the kick, Gem? Or do you grind habaneros in your chili powder?

Actually, I use my dad's special recipe for salsa in this. It includes toasted seeds from various peppers, which is where all the heat resides. But yeah, chipotle peppers have a heck of a kick to them, too.

However...I think that while I have a formidable definition of spicy, from seeing your posts, I don't think it's on the same level of yours.

EDIT: Oops! I forgot one important step! Add the remaining 1/4 of the chili powder at the same time you add the corn starch thickener!

[Renee750il]

I do tend to go over the top, lol! My Dad calls my chili "Rotgut Chili." He says "when you spit on the floor, you spit a hole in the floor."

[CanadianK9]

Habaneros are where its at, lava when it enters jet fuel when it exits rofl

[ToscasMom]

My father and I used to have hot pepper eating contests.

[Renee750il]

Originally Posted by ToscasMom

My father and I used to have hot pepper eating contests.

"Used to?"