Sunday, September 14, 2008

Modern Day Bartering: Chili for Chocolate


Sunday Football Chili
Tonight, after a week hiatus from cooking - I decided to make a nice big pot of chili.  It's been cooling down in the evenings lately, and football season has begun (Go Pats! - who won tonight, despite Tom Brady's injury) ... so I thought it was the right time to bring back this classic one pot dinner.  I brought some over to my neighbor Margaret (she's an British octogenarian who is my BFF in the condo complex - she gave me a chocolate bar in return, it's special- from England. :)

Here's my Sunday Football Chili Recipe (serves 8)
2 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
2 small sweet onions (or one large Vidalia) diced
2 green peppers diced
1 can* dark red kidney beans
1 can light red kidney beans
2 cans diced tomatoes
1/2 can tomato sauce
2-3 packets of chili mix (I like to mix medium and hot)
salt and pepper to taste
a few pieces of dark chocolate or hersey kishes

Prepare the following using a large pot/saucepan:   1. First saute the chopped onions in olive oil until translucent, then add the green peppers until cooked - remove from heat, 2. Brown the beef, drain excess fat, 3. Add the chili mix (I use 3 packets for this recipe, but you can start with 2, then add more seasoning to your taste preference), kidney beans, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce and vegetables (basically throw everything in the pot). 4) Let it boil, then reduce heat to low to simmer. 5. It is ready to eat after 10 minutes, but I like to let it simmer for a little longer so the flavor is more developed 30min- 1 hour at low heat.  Towards the end, you may add a few pieces of dark chocolate- it gives the chili a nice, smooth, finish. Enjoy over rice, top with chopped raw onions and cheddar cheese. Bon appetit!
*I can't remember how many oz the cans are, but they are the standard size, somewhere between 14- 16 oz.  

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