28 March 2010

Dad's Chili

Ingredients

  • 500g mince - beef or 50/50 beef and pork
  • 2 x 440g cans kidney beans including liquid
  • 2 x 440g cans of Pinto beans including liquid
  • 1 tub tomato paste
  • 2 or 3 small onions (or 250g of frozen chopped)
  • 3 tomatoes - coarsely chopped (or 2 tins of diced Italian tomatoes)
  • ½ green capsicum - coarsely chopped
  • 3 sticks of celery coarsely chopped
  • 1 tablespoons of chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 2 cups of water

Extra:

  • 3 tablespoons of corn flour
  • ¼ cup of water

Method

  1. Sauté the onions and celery in a tablespoon of oil until the onions are clear. Add the mince.
  2. Cook until the mince is browned and slightly crispy. Drain excess oil
  3. Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker.
  4. Cook on auto for 5 hours stirring occasionally.
  5. After 4 hours and 15 minutes of cooking: combine the corn flour and extra water and stir into the chili.

Options:

1 tbsp of brown sugar if you prefer a sweeter chili.
Serve with fresh pepper to increase heat (spiciness) of dish.
This dish is best served with fresh grated cheddar cheese and sour cream. Use crackers or corn chips for dipping.
Leave any leftovers in the fridge for a day to increase flavours. Alternately prepare one day ahead and leave in slow cooker on low.
Can be frozen.

Notes:

I removed salt from the recipe as the tinned beans contain enough for most tastes. You can reduce the salt content further by draining and rinsing the kidney beans and adding an extra cup of water to the pot.
All measurements are in metric.