Roasted Pepper Chili

It is absolutely freezing outside. Like beyond cold. And all I can think about is soups and stews and hot spicy food. All thoughts of ice cream and sushi have vanished from my mind and I just want anything hot you can eat with a spoon. My hot chocolate consumption has gone through the roof and I spent a week thinking about chili. So finally I decided I couldn't wait any longer, I had to have some. I went to the veggie section of my local Wegmans and I was overwhelmed by the variety of peppers. Every kind you could possibly imagine and a few I had never heard of. As Bobby Flay's advice danced in my head, I decided on Poblano, Anaheim and the classic jalapeño to make a delicious 3 pepper-roasted chili.



Roasted Pepper Chili:
1 Poblano pepper
2 Anaheim peppers
2 jalapeño peppers
1 small green pepper
2 Tbsp of olive oil
2 small onions
3 clove of garlic
1 pound ground turkey or beef
15 oz can of tomato sauce
15 oz can of black beans
15 oz can of white beans
23 oz can of peeled whole tomatoes
6 oz of Tomato Paste
1 tbsp of Cumin
1/2 tsp of paprika
2 tsp of salt
1 tsp black pepper

Pre-heat the broiler. Wash the peppers and cut off the top stems. Put on a foil lined baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Roast the peppers, flipping them once halfway, until they are charred slightly, about 15 minutes. Let peppers cool until you can handle them. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Dice onions and garlic. Add to the pot and allow to cook until translucent and soft, about 8 minutes. Add in ground turkey (or beef) and cook stirring occasionally to brown the meat. Remove the charred skin from the peppers and dice them. Add the peppers to the pot and stir everything together. Add in tomato sauce and drained beans (discard the liquid). Add in the whole tomatoes and their juices. Use a spoon to stir everything together and break apart the tomatoes into chunks. Add the tomato paste and seasonings and bring everything to a boil. Reduce to medium-low and cook covered for about an hour (or longer). Serve with cheese, sour cream, avocado, or whatever your favorite chili toppings are.



Happy Eating.

Success in a Slow Cooker

While the debate rages on about whose slow cooker I used to make the chili, there is no debate that it a, it was in fact chili and the b, it was good.

So, it wasn't your classic chili and certainly would be disqualified from any chili competition but it sure was tasty and super easy to make. I will share my pseudo-recipe with you.

1 Yellow Onion (or half if it is very large)
1 Green Pepper
2 Garlic Cloves
2 to 3 chillies of your favorite variety (I used 2 greens and a shrivel-y orange one)
1 29 oz can of stewed tomatoes with juices (the big can)
1 29 oz can of tomato puree (the big can again)
1 cup of dried black beans
1 cup of dried kidney beans
1 to 1.5 pounds of lean chuck stew meat (trust me)
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder and a whole lot of cumin
Sour cream, cheese, and cilantro for serving

Dump the 2 cans of tomato product into a Croc Pot. Dice the onion, pepper, chillies and garlic and throw them in the Croc Pot as well. Rinse the beans in cold water (ignore the instructions on the back of the bag, they are not for a slow cooker, just rinse in cold water and drain) then throw them in the pot. Stir everything together. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder and cumin (use a lot of this) to taste. The flavor will intensify and be less tomato-y when its cooked, but it should still taste good. When you are satisfied that you have seasoned it enough, season the meat with salt, pepper and cumin then throw it in. Stir again. Put the lid on and cook on low for 8-10 hours (I'm guessing 5-6 hours on high would also work, but I didn't try it). Mine cooked for about 10, because I was at work and the mystery owned Croc Pot did not have an automatic go to warm on it, if your's does feel free to use it after 8 or 9 hours, but if it doesn't don't worry about it. Serve with sour cream, cheese and a little fresh cilantro (if you have it handy) and some bread if you, like me cannot eat a meal without bread.

It was so tasty, and the meat just falls apart and is so tender, you can eat it with a spoon. Definitely something I will be making again!

Happy Eating