I figured everyone will still be full from Thanksgiving, so I'm going to do 2 big
batches of chili in crock pots — one with meat and one without.
Not exact matches
This homemade
chili seasoning recipe wound up being so good, I ended up making a large
batch of it and storing it
in my spice cabinet.
Same goes for beans — chickpeas, white beans, kidney beans, black beans — there's always a chance I want to throw together a quick lentil
chili or a
batch of homemade hummus, so I can always count on them being
in my pantry.
I got several pounds
of their awesome grass - fed ground beef
in my last
batch and knew I wanted to use it to make
chili.
No ill effect on searing the meat since I did it
in more
batches and this similarly did not affect the reduction
of sauce; - I used beer instead
of water
in the
chili paste (per Joe Yonan's Texas Bowl O» Red from Serve Yourself); - I threw
in some Mexican Oregano from Rancho Gordo because I had it; - I used a mix
of chiles sourced from Rancho Gordo, my local Whole Foods and a taqueria / market
in the boonies: chipotle, California, arbol and pasilla.
I foresee a big
batch of chili coming up
in my future!
After I threw the cinnamon and nutmeg
in my
batch I started second guessing myself, thinking it might be weird, but it was only weird
in a good way, by which I mean super delicious and kind
of the ultimate fall
chili.
In the photo above, right, I mixed up a
batch of sweet paprika, smoked paprika, cumin, and salt, and seasoned the
chili throughout its two hour cooking time.
Somehow the addition
of chili in sweet things makes them more satisfying, and a smaller bite is needed to satisfy my sweet tooth — the advantage being that one
batch lasts longer.
When chiles from Hatch, New Mexico, come to market
in August, I stock up on enough to roast and freeze for chile pies, pots
of Southwestern
chili, and
batches of salsa through the winter months.
You can easily make a
batch of Chipotle Chocolate
Chili in advance, and reheat before serving.
The first or second time I ever made a big
batch of chili on my own, I learned that it will take for - ever to thicken up the way I like it, unless I added a bit
of tomato paste (and that's a trick I learned from my Italian momma when I would help make marinara / bolognese sauce as a kid), and as I've gotten older, too much tomato doesn't agree with me like it used to, so I also add
in beef broth (and a littttle fresh lime juice) to cut the acid.
Tip: Make a large
batch of chili and freeze individual portions
in small containers for an easy weekday meal!
Andouille sausages and diced butternut squash simmered
in a Dutch oven or a heavy - bottomed pan means this
batch of chili will be ready
in an hour.
The tips paid off, and, with the exception
of the unfortunate, cocky few who mixed
in too much
of Keith's lethal
batch with their portion
of mild, I can assure you that when two pots
of chili face - off, everybody wins.
All
in all everyone behaved but what a fleshy
batch of bare skin to have flitting amongst the
chili booths!
In the winter, it can be easier to prep because it's the season of soups, stews, and chilis that you can make bigger batches of and store in the freeze
In the winter, it can be easier to prep because it's the season
of soups, stews, and
chilis that you can make bigger
batches of and store
in the freeze
in the freezer.
One very frustrating thing about living
in a small Ontario town is that it's nearly impossible to buy hot fresh peppers, unless they're jalapeños or, if I'm lucky, a rare
batch of Thai bird's eye
chilis —
in an enormous quantity,
of course.