chilin'

Today I spent the day ripping CD's, writing a Javascript application to calculate how long it would take to rip all of my CD's down, and making a big pot of chili. The core of my recipe comes from the Fannie Farmer cookbook recipe for "Chili Con Carne", by has been tweaked based on my friend Mike Reiner's mom's recipe, which adds canned tomatoes and tomato paste. I find the recipe in Fannie Farmer lacks richness, and the tomatoes really add that richness. I also omitted the beef stock; I suppose this would make it even richer, but I want to be able to tweak the salt content myself. I substitute water in this case. Serve warm over pasta or just by itself. Freezes really well too, and I've noticed the flavor really develops the next day.

NOTE: I like my food pretty spicy; if it bothers you, reduce the chili flakes, Tabasco, and cayenne. But really, it's not THAT spicy.

My Chili
Serves 8

2 onions, chopped
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. Emeril's Essence (make it yourself)
1/4 c. minced garlic
3 lbs. ground beef, extra lean
2 tsp. salt

1-14oz can whole peeled tomatoes
3 oz tomato paste (1/2 of the small can)
6 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. ground black pepper
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. new mexico chili powder
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tbsp. oregano
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 tbsp. red chili flakes
1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tbsp. worcheshire sauce
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tbsp. Tabasco
2 cups water


Heat olive oil in large stew pot. Add onions and garlic and cook over medium-low heat until translucent (around 15 min). Turn up heat to medium-high, add ground beef and brown, stirring frequently, about 7-10 minutes. Process whole peeled tomatoes (including can juice) in food processor 10-15 seconds so tomatoes are only a bit chunky, but not totally smooth. Once beef is brown, add tomatoes, tomato paste, all spices, sauces, vinegar, tabasco & water, and cook over low heat for 1 hour. Remove from heat & serve immediately. For best flavor, reheat the next day.