Friends Food Family

Chunky Beef and Bean Chili

Friends were coming over to watch the football game (Pats VS Colts) and we needed a hearty one bowl dish for a crowd. A voice in my head kept yelling Chili! Chili! Chili! So, I followed the voices in my head and found a way to adapt a chili recipe for a hearty one dish meal! Made with pork, beef and 4 different types of beans, this is a mild chili and if you want, you can kick it up a notch.

We have quite a few chili recipes on our Friends Food Family site. Everyone's favorite is Al Roker's Spectacular Chili Recipe. It's loaded with beef, sausage and beans. It's an easy recipe that has some heat but we would put it on the milder side of chili. As I was searching for a chili recipe, I googled "the best chili recipes." A number of them rose to the top of the search but the funny thing was the recipe reviews. You may call your recipe "the best" but it better be "the BEST" or people will call you out. I was amazed at how often people will comment on a recipe and make suggestions of how they made it better. Suddenly, I came across Halftime Chili on Bon Appetit's website. As I read through the reviews it was half and half. Half the people liked the recipe, the other half thought it was bland. OK, what if I decide to change it up a bit, maybe add some spicy pork sausage, cut back on the chili pepper, increase the tomato base and add a mixture of beans. What if I did a combination of Al Roker's Chili and this Halftime Chili?

We stopped at the supermarket and picked up a few ingredients. The original chili recipe called for 3 pounds of ground chuck. What if we did 1 pound of ground chuck, 1 pound of hot and spicy sausage and 1-1/2 pounds of stew beef? OK, we took care of the meat portion. What if we chose a number of different beans? Dark red kidney beans, pinto beans, cannellini beads and pink beans could work. We grabbed a bunch of different beans. Increase the tomato base, decrease a few of the spices...I think we are ready to go.

Many times when we are making big soups and stews, we use our 13-1/4 Quart Le Creuset Dutch Oven. We love this pan because it goes into the oven so easily and gives food that slow cooked flavor in half the time. It seals the recipe and gives it an even heat, around the pan versus from the bottom up on the stove. We are making a chili so get out the pan, it's going in the oven.

So, a few tips for this recipe:

1. We cut back on the chili powder by 1 tablespoon. We felt the hot sausage had some spice to it. We weren't sure how "hot" it would be. Feel free to add more heat.
2. We eliminated the jalapeno peppers, too.

If you are someone who likes a mild chili with a little bit of heat, but lots of flavor, this recipe is perfect. If you like a spicier chili, kick it up with some chili powder and consider adding (back) a jalapeno or two.

It took us about 3 hours total time to put together and cook the chili. It was perfect for our gathering, our friends loved the chili. We served it with corn bread as well as sour cream and shredded cheese. I love watching people break up cornbread and add it to the chili. When it comes to chili, people love it many different ways : spicy hot, with beans, without beans, topped with sour cream, mixed with corn bread : bottom line, chili is a great crowdpleaser. Make a batch of chili, you'll have friends for life.

Ingredients for Chunky Beef and Bean Chili

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 pound of hot sausage, in bulk
• 1 pound of ground chuck beef
• 1-1/2 pounds of stew beef, cut into 2 inch chunks
• 2 medium onions, chopped into 1 inch cubes
• 8 cloves of garlic, smashed
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
• 2 (28 ounce) cans of crushed tomatoes
• 1-1/2 cups of chicken broth
• 1 - 12 ounce bottle of lager (or can of beer)
• 4 tablespoons of chili powder
• 2 teaspoons of cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon of dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
• 4 - 15 ounce cans of beans, drained - we used white cannellini, pinto, large dark kidney and small red beans. You can use any combination.
• sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese as optional toppings

Preparation:

1. In a large dutch oven, over medium high heat, add the olive oil and then cook the sausage until on longer pink, remove from pan. Add the ground chuck and cook until no longer pink, remove from pan. Add the stew meat and cook on all sides until no longer pink (5-8 minutes.), remove from pan. (I put them into one big dish once they were all cooked.)

2. Reduce heat to medium and add the onions and smashed garlic. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until the onions are translucent and soft.

3. Add all the meat (and juices) back into the pan and stir together for 1-2 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.

4. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, lager and all the spices. Return the heat to medium high and bring the mixture to a boil. 

5. Cover the pot with a lid and you can place the dutch oven into a 350 degree oven and let cook for 1 hour. Or reduce heat to low and allow to simmer, stirring ocassionally for 1 hour.

6. At the end of 1 hour, add all the beans, stir and return to the oven or to the stove for another hour. Remove from heat.

7. Add additional seasonings for taste - salt/pepper.

8. Allow to rest for 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with sour cream and cheese. 

We served ours with corn bread! Makes enough for 10-12 people.

Bon Appetit's Chicken and White Bean Chili

Finally, we are back up and running. I can upload photos and make the blogs look beautiful again!

Last Sunday, we decided to make chili for the big New England Patriots game against the Buffalo Bills. As I was looking for a recipe, I definitely wanted something with chicken and lots of beans, and a little different from our White Bean Chili.

I took out my iPad and used my Epicurious App and found a Bon Appetit Chicken and White Bean Chili recipe with a tomato base from 2005. That's what I love about some of these applications. They don't necessarily give you the most up to date recipe but it does give you lots of recipe opportunities. I read the recipe and figured it was easy, it could simmer during the game and then dinner would be served.

I adapted a few of the ingredients from the original recipe by using chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs. I also cut back on the chili powder. For those who like a hot chili, go with the original recipe that calls for 3-1/2 tablespoons (or more) of chili powder. Lastly, I used fire roasted diced tomatoes instead of regular diced tomatoes. I like the heartier flavor of the fire roasted, which worked perfectly.

This chili was delicious, and perfect when the Patriots lost and we had a table full of grumpy people. We had homemade rustic bread and butter which finished the meal. It had the perfect amount of heat and flavor which pleased the chili lovers as well as the picky eaters.

Tomorrow starts another round of college and professional football games for the weekend. Mix up a batch and have it ready for your fans. Oh, and it tastes even better the second day. Enjoy!

GO TEAM!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of olive oil
1-1/3 cups of chopped onion
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
2-1/4 pounds of skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
2-1/2 tablespoons of chili powder
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
2- 15 to 16-ounce cans of white beans with juices
2- 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes, fire roasted in juice
1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add chicken; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until chicken is no longer pink outside, about 5 minutes. Mix in chili powder, tomato paste, cumin, and oregano.

Add beans, 1 cup reserved bean juices, and canned tomatoes. Simmer until chicken is cooked through and chili is thickened, about 25 minutes.

Season chili to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in cilantro and serve.

Al Roker's Spectacular Beef Chili Recipe

 

 

Chili. It's a hot dish with a cool name.

And it's always great to serve during that afternoon football game when you're entertaining a few guests. Chili is easy to make because most of the cooking time is spent in a crock pot or dutch oven. I call it a throw and go meal...throw everything in one pot and then go away for a few hours, when you come back it is done.

Jeff found Al Roker's Chili recipe a few years ago and we have served it for dinner as well as for larger parties. It's that delicious comfort food that warms as well as fills you up. We love this chili because it is flavorful with pieces of beef and sausage and the spices are just right...heat but not fire. The three different types of beans bring additional color and flavor.

The next time you have to entertain a group of people, whether friends and family or maybe even a tailgate party, consider making this chili recipe. It feeds 14 people (or 6 hungry men) and we can guarantee, they won't walk away hungry! And toss in some cornbread, it finishes off a great meal.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of chuck steak, cubed into bite-size pieces
1 pound of hot Italian sausage, removed from casings, or purchase the ground sausage
2 large onions, diced
12 cloves of garlic, diced
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
1 tablespoon of paprika
1 tablespoon of pure chili powder
1 can of (32 ounce size) crushed tomatoes (usually means a 24 ounce plus a 12 or 14 ounce)
1 can of (15.5 or 16 ounce size) pinto beans, rinsed
1 can of (15.5 or 16 ounce size) Northern beans, rinsed
1 can of (15.5 or 16 ounce size) dark red kidney beans, rinsed

Finish with:

chopped scallions, sour cream and/or shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

Preparation:

Brown the beef and sausages in a large Dutch oven. Remove the meat and reserve. Drain off the fat, reserving about two tablespoons.

Saute the onions and garlic until translucent, about 7 to 7 minutes.

Add the cumin, paprika and chili powder. Add the tomatoes and the beef into the Dutch oven. Stir the whole pot, and simmer on the stove for about 1 1/2 hours.

Note: We placed ours in a crock pot on low for about 6 hours. We have also used our Le Creuset Dutch oven and placed it in the oven at 325 degrees for 1-1/2 hours.

Add the three cans of beans, and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Serve topped with your choice of chopped scallions, sour cream and/or shredded cheese.

Southern Living's White Bean Chili (with Chicken)

 

It's official, football season is upon us. We love this time of year as the days get shorter and the nights get colder because it means we start making some of our seasonal football favorites. The first being Southern Living's White Bean Chili. We found this recipe in our Southern Living Favorites Cook Book from 2007 after we had a request for chili that didn't have a "red" meat base.

What an incredible find!

The chili is thick and chunky with bite-sized pieces of chicken. The base is a combination of seasonings and blended white beans and the white shoepeg corn gives the taste of kernels fresh off the ears. The best part are the green chile peppers. They give the chili a spicy taste without much heat.

It's a great dish for those who don't care for spicy chili. With some of the picky eaters at our house, this is a meal that everyone enjoys.

With Fall upon us and football games to attend, this is a great time to make a hearty chili for your next indoor or outdoor sports crowd.

Ingredients

• 1  medium onion, chopped
• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 8  skinned and boned chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
• 3  cups  water
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 2  teaspoons  ground cumin
• 1  teaspoon  chili powder
• 1  teaspoon  pepper
• 1  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 4  (15-ounce) cans cannellini or great Northern beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
• 1  (14 1/2-ounce) can chicken broth
• 1  (16-ounce) package frozen shoepeg white corn
• 2  (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles
• 3  tablespoons  lime juice
• Garnish: fresh cilantro sprigs


Preparation

Sauté chopped onion in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat 7 minutes; add garlic, and sauté 2 to 3 minutes.

 

Stir in chicken pieces, and cook, stirring constantly, until chicken is lightly browned. Stir in 3 cups water and next 5 ingredients; reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often, 10 minutes or until chicken is done.

Place 2 cans of beans in a blender; add broth, and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides.

Stir bean pureé, remaining 2 cans of beans, corn, and chiles into chicken mixture in Dutch oven; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often, 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in lime juice just before serving. Garnish, if desired.