Gameday Chili

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I hope this picture illustrates just how tasty this dish was. Because I got several really good compliments on it. One person was so impressed that it caught her off guard when I said it was the first time I had ever made chili.

Whenever I'm out at a restaurant, I never think to order chili. And until now I had never thought to make it myself either. But I always like it when I have the opportunity to eat it. My friend's family usually has a chili cook-off during football gameday and it's something I really look forward to.  So why haven't I tried to make it before?  Maybe I though there were secrets that chili cooks keep too close to the breast.  So I turned to my trusty Food Network cookbook to help me get started -- and then I added my own twists.

It starts simply enough by browning some ground beef with diced onion and minced garlic.  Add chili powder and oregano.  Chili powder makes sense, but I never would have thought to use oregano.  I added crushed red pepper flakes, Spanish paprika, and brown sugar as my own additions.

Then deglaze your pan with a bottle of Mexican lager. Beer & chili are a match made in Heaven, right?

Next, stir in tomato paste. Bring it to a boil, and let it simmer until it has reduced & thickened.  At this point I transferred everything to a slow cooker.

This next step was an interesting instruction, and it requires you to be careful so you don't make a huge mess.  Take a 14.5 can of whole tomatoes and add them to your chili base by crushing them through your fingers. This will give you a more rustic feel than using diced tomatoes. But be careful you don't squirt them all over the place! I learned that the hard way.  (Oops.)  Add the liquid from the tomato can as well.

Drain and rinse some kidney beans. I opted to use both white & red for some cool color effect.

The next twist came from my wife's suggestion: one jar of salsa. There is a great depth of flavor already in those tomatoes & onions, so it's almost like cheating to add it to your chili. But it will really amp up the flavor. Finish it off by adding 1 cup of chicken broth.

The recipe says to bring it to a boil and you can serve it as soon as 8-10 minutes later. But I let mine stew and bubble away for hours so it greeted our guests with a wonderful aroma when they walked in the door on gameday.

We had a little topping bar. You can use sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions, tortilla chips or Fritos ... and maybe even some pickled jalapeno peppers if you feel so inclined.

I think it was a great hit. I hope the pictures show how great it was. And maybe this description can help give you a few ideas you may not have tried before with chili. And I only needed 525 words.