Who doesn’t love chili? I assume that you have a standard ground-beef-with-kidney-beans recipe that you rely on for a quick weeknight supper. The following two work well for some kind of special occasion when you want a casual vibe. Both are truly great.
Black Bean and Sirloin Chili
The original recipe is from The Fog City Diner cookbook and was reprinted in Bon Appetit Magazine, which is where I found it. The use of steak instead of ground beef, black beans instead of kidney beans, and the omission of tomatoes set the recipe apart. I liked the first two but not the third and so added tomatoes and changed the spices somewhat.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 pounds boneless sirloin cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 5 fresh jalapeno peppers seeded and chopped fine (wear rubber gloves)
- 1/3 cup masa harina (corn tortilla flour, available at Mexican markets and some specialty foods shops—optional, but it adds thickness and a nice corn flavor)
- 3 tablespoons chili powder or to taste
- 1 tsp . ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp . pepper
- 1/2 tsp . salt
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 medium can crushed tomatoes (usually 15 oz., so about two cups)
- 2 cups cooked black beans rinsed and drained if canned
- grated cheddar cheese for garnish
- chopped red onion for garnish
Instructions
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In a heavy kettle heat the oil over moderately high heat and in it brown the sirloin in batches, transferring it as it is browned with a slotted spoon to a bowl. In the fat remaining in the kettle cook the yellow onion, the garlic, and the jalapeno peppers over moderate heat, stirring, until the onion is softened, add the masa harina and the spices and cook the mixture, stirring, for five minutes. Add the broth, tomatoes and the sirloin (plus any juices in the bowl and simmer the mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes, or until the meat is tender. Sir in the beans, simmer the mixture for 15 minutes, and check for seasoning. Stir in more broth and/or tomatoes if chili is thicker than you want it. Serve garnished with the cheddar and the red onion.
Debi's Chili for a Crowd
This week's recipe is from the Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. My 1982 edition is pretty battered; I love that cookbook! They have some truly great material. I did make some changes to this recipe, so I feel okay about posting it as mine. Mustard and lemon juice in chili? I think not! I also cut out the Italian seasonings and cut down on the other spices and replaced the red wine with beer. And I've cut the overall recipe in half, as the original is supposed to serve 35-40 portions. This chili was a great favorite back when I used to be involved in making student and intern lunches at our old church in Washington DC. We'd have 75-90 people, so I'd actually double the already huge recipe. People would say, "What did you put in this chili?" They were always astonished when I said there was Italian sausage in it.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 pound yellow onions chopped
- 1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage casings removed (I use hot)
- 4 pounds ground beef 85% lean works well and is what Costco sells.
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
- 12 oz. tomato paste two small cans
- 2-3 cloves garlic pressed or minced
- 1-2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons chili powder or to taste
- 1 tablespoon salt or to taste
- 2 29-oz, cans diced tomatoes or tomatoes in puree or enough to equal about 8 cups, depending on how thick you want your chili
- 1 12-oz. bottle or can beer optional; use something light such as Miller's.
- 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
- 2 16-oz. cans red kidney beans drained
Instructions
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Saute onions in the olive oil, then mix in the sausage and ground beef and brown thoroughly. This is the most labor-intensive part of the recipe. Be sure you have a big pan. If you're using leaner beef and sausage you probably won't have too much fat, but you can drain off the juices and refrigerate them while the rest of the chili is cooking, remove the solidified fat, and then add the defatted juices back in, if you'd like. Mix in everything else and simmer until thickened and flavors have melded, probably about an hour. Taste for seasonings.
Recipe Notes
You can serve various garnishes, including grated Cheddar cheese, avocado, sliced black olives, additional parsley, red peppers, etc. I usually serve cornbread and a green salad with a chili vinaigrette. Mexican flan would be nice for dessert, as would Mexican chocolate brownies.
