Chili

This chili is easy, delicious, and perfect for Superbowl parties! There are many types of chili, but this has just about everything in it: ground beef, sausage, tomatoes, beans, and a variety of vegetables. It can even be Kosher, depending on what sausage you use!

I wanted my chili to have balanced but complex flavors. To do so, I cooked the vegetables and meats separately before I combined everything. That simple technique allowed the meat to brown and caramelize and the flavors of the vegetables to mingle. Once I mixed everything together, the flavor of the vegetables infused the rest of the dish, and the meat didn't completely dissolve.

In chili, you have to use chiles. It's in the name. There are plenty of bell peppers in the recipe, but I also added an Anaheim. They are sweet with a slight kick, so you can add more spice via other chiles (i.e. jalapeños or habaneros) or dried, ground up chiles (I used a few spoonfuls of cayenne).

This specific batch of chili was meant for a Superbowl party at a Temple. Everything needed to be Kosher, so I used sweet Italian Beef Sausage. If that's not available or if you prefer something else, that is perfectly acceptable, but I do recommend sticking with some sort of Italian sausage. If you want even more heat, try a spicy variety!

As for my opinion on the chili vs chile debate, I refer to the dish as chili and the ingredients and country as chile.

1 1/2 lbs Ground Chuck
3/4 lb Italian Sausage
45 oz Canned Chili Beans, Mostly Drained
42 oz Canned Diced Tomatoes with Juice
4 oz Tomato Paste
1 Small Yellow Onion
1 Small Green Bell Pepper
1 Small Red Bell Pepper
4 Cloves Garlic
1 Anaheim Chile
1/2 Cup Beer
3 T Chili Powder
1 T + 1 tsp Chicken Bouillon
2 tsp Oregano
1/2 T Cumin
3/4 tsp Basil
3/4 tsp Salt
3/4 tsp Pepper
2 T Cayenne
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Sugar
1 T Worcestershire
2 tsp Hot Sauce

Chop the onions and bell peppers. Mince the chile and garlic. Combine in a small skillet and cook until just softened.

Remove the casing from the sausage. Brown the sausage and beef in a large pot. Add the beans, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Stir in the fresh vegetables, beer, worcestershire, and hot save. Combine the chicken bouillon, chili powder, oregano, cumin, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir into the chili.

Cover the pot and simmer on low for at least two hours.

Serves 16
Recipe Adapted from www.allrecipes.com