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Chili & Cornbread

I made this chili and some jazzed up cornbread for our twin parent friends, Wendy & Dave, a few weeks ago. Wendy asked me for the recipe, so I am posting it here. Honestly, all this recipe posting business is selfishly motivated - it is helping me consolidate all my favorites in one searchable spot!

Sweet-N-Spicy Chili
Adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

2 T. vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped (or frozen chopped onion equivalent, ~ 1/3 of bag)
1 red pepper, chopped (or use frozen chopped peppers, tri-color from Trader Joe's would work great)
2 T. chili powder
1/2 T. cumin
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
Salt
3 garlic cloves, minced (1-1/2 t. jarred minced garlic)
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 lb. ground beef
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1-14 oz. can diced tomatoes
16 oz. tomato sauce (1 regular or 2 small cans)
3-4 T. honey

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, red pepper, jalapeno, chili powder, cumin, cayenne & 1/2 t. salt. Cook until the vegetables have softened, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
2. Add the beef and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook until no longer pink, about 10 minutes, breaking up with a spoon. Add the beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and 1/2 t. salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes.
3. Remove the lid and continue to simmer until the beef is tender, about 45 minutes. After the first 15 minutes of the final cook time, add honey. Finish cooking, season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.


Cornbread with a Kick

1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
3-4 green onions, minced
1 can chopped green chiles, drained
A few handfuls of shredded cheese of choice (cojack, monterey jack, or pepper jack are all delicious)
1/2 T. butter

1. In a cast iron skillet, melt the butter and swirl to coat the bottom and sides of the pan
2. In a large bowl, mix the batter according to package directions. Add green onions, green chiles, and cheese. Pour into prepared cast iron skillet.
3. Bake according to package directions until toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
4. Remove from oven and cool; flip pan over and place bread on cutting board. Cut into squares and serve with the chili.

Comments

  1. I just made the chili again with a few modifications that were delicious. I used ground turkey instead of hamburger and threw in 1 T. grill seasoning and some red pepper flakes instead of jalapeno along with the other spices. I added a can of cannellini (white) beans along with the regular kidney beans and a can of Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with green chiles along with the regular can of diced tomatoes. These additions will stretch out the recipe.

    Serve topped with shredded cheese and chopped cucumber.

    ReplyDelete

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