Homemaking Organized Blog

Archive for February 24th, 2011

Today, February 24th is Chili Day.

Chili, the comfort food with a little spice. Derived from Chili Con Carne (which I can’t help pronouncing with an Italian accent) it means chili (the spice) with meat. Variations include veggies and beans.

You can find the history of chili along with a couple of recipes at the International Chili Society here.

Here are some recipes for great chili

Turkey Chili

(Serves about 6-7)

Ingredients:
1 can (14.5oz) chopped tomatoes
1 can (6oz) tomato paste
1 carrot, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1.5 pounds ground turkey (you can also use ground beef or a mix of both if you prefer)
1 package (1.25oz) chili seasoning mix
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/3 cup bottled steak sauce
5 slices bacon
1 tsp ground cumin
1 can (15oz) kidney beans, drained
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine tomatoes, tomato paste, carrot, onion, celery, pepper flakes, peppers, steak sauce and chicken stock in a large heavy pot and simmer over low heat.

In a separately large frying pan cook the bacon slices until crisp and put on paper towels to drain. Cook the ground turkey in the bacon drippings until browned. Then drain. Stir the chili seasoning into the ground turkey.

Add the turkey to the tomato mixture and add the cumin and bacon. Keep simmering until the vegetables are tender. Then stir in beans, cilantro and parsley. Heat through and season well.

Serve immediately with grated cheese and crusty bread.

Chili Di Molto Beans

This chili has a little bit of a sweet taste due to the can of pork and beans.

1 pound of ground turkey, ground beef, or both
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can pork and beans, drained
1 can diced green beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons chili powder (choose heat level based on your tastes)

Brown beef and drain. Sautee onions for five minutes, add back beef and all other ingredients. Simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with shredded cheese.