My Version of Chili Con Carne

This is easy comfort food for a winter day.

Pork loin, olive oil, garlic, diced onion, diced jalapenos or chili peppers, hot pepper flakes, chili powder, oregano, canned beans, crushed tomatoes. (I use canned beans because no matter what - soaking overnight, not putting in salt, using baking soda, dry beans will NOT COOK for me. Is it the Cochiti water?)

Saute the veggies and meat in olive oil, add tomatoes and spices and beans and simmer for a couple of hours, more or less.

Serve with a good bread or over rice.

Chili Con Leftovers

I made another non-traditional chili tonight. About the only thing it has in common with chili is the chili powder and beans, and even then I didn't have the right beans.

Two nights ago I grilled some pork loin cutlets, very lean but seasoned and grilled to perfection, not dry but juicy. I also grilled some zucchini and some jalapenos and Portuguese hot peppers with evoo, garlic, black pepper. Last night we had corn on the cob leftover.

Sweet Corn off the Cob, Beans, Parsley, Basil,
Chili Powder, Roasted Hot Peppers,
Pork, Tomato Sauce

Into the crock pot went two medium size cans of tomato sauce (not spaghetti sauce - just the plain tomato sauce) four pork loin chops cut into very small pieces, three medium size cans of beans (black beans and great northern and small white - that's all I had on hand) two ears of corn, kernels only, five or six jalapenos and Portuguese hots, roasted and peeled, and a whole zucchini which I first diced and sautéed with an onion and garlic and green pepper and a good handful of green beans from the garden that I cut up - all sautéed in evoo till tender. A few spoons of chili powder, parsley, basil, NO salt as the canned beans have some salt.

Sauteing some Zucchini, Onion, Green Beans,
Green Pepper,  Garlic, EVOO

The chili cooked all afternoon. We added a little shredded cheddar (not as much as I used to because I'm limiting my fat intake).

It had just the right amount of heat for me, a little hotter would be good too; I will say it was really tasty.

Dinner's Ready!

The Chili Con Leftovers with Cheddar and Bread

Not Quite Vegetarian Chili

I've always loved vegetables but now I am trying to lose weight so more veggies the better.  But chili without meat...I'm not quite there yet.

For tonight's dish, I used a couple of pork chops diced up a lot smaller than bite size; 

2-3 cloves garlic, 

and diced: 

2 small onions, 

1 green pepper, 

6 jalapeno peppers, 

1 cup celery, 

1 zucchini;

2 tbsp olive oil, 

3/4 cup red wine, 

salt, pepper, chili powder, brown sugar and 

3 cans of beans (not pictured) - kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans ( more or different - as you like)

1 large can of crushed tomatoes (not pictured).

 Saute the garlic and the meat in a tablespoon of olive oil; add salt and pepper; add red wine and cook for a few minutes;  remove the meat and juices;

saute the onion in 1 tbsp of olive oil for a few minutes;

add the green pepper, jalapeno pepper, saute a few minutes; 

 add the celery and the zucchini; saute until heated through, a few minutes; add salt.

return the meat to the pot, add the tomato and beans;
add a tablespoon brown sugar and chili powder to taste

I realized I had a piece of grilled rib eye steak left over from the other night so I cut it up fine and added it to the chili...why not?

Serve with grated cheddar, jack or other cheese of your choice.  Salad and wine and homemade bread completed tonight's dinner.

Enjoy!

Amateur Chili

I did not grow up eating chili.  I don't remember when I first had it, but it was probably at a picnic or pot luck.  And I must admit that I am not partial to those Southwest spices like cumin and cilantro and coriander. So when I make chili, it is usually very light on the pungent spice.  I'm also not very adventurous with things like coffee or chocolate.  I'll have my coffee with a chocolate biscotto.

The discount food market had London Broil for $1.99.  That's less than ground chuck, so I bought a slab and sliced and cut it into smaller than bite-size pieces.

Olive oil and garlic in the pot, added some chopped onion and the last of the hot lemon peppers from last year's garden that were in the freezer.  Some green pepper and the meat.  Let the meat saute with the veggies and some salt and pepper.  Then added a good spoon of chili powder and a couple table spoons of brown sugar.  There was a half can of tomato puree left from making pizza the other day, so that went in along with one large can of red beans.  It sat over a low flame for a about four hours.

The meat was tender and the chili seasoning was not overpowering.  It could have used a little more hotness but had a mild bite tempered by the sweetness of the brown sugar.

That Lettuce Leaf  and the Splash of Sauce
is What Ruined This Photo Op

Spooned it out with some grated cheddar on top, along with a nice salad and a Portuguese roll, it made for a good dinner on a hot day.  I was so hungry, I forgot to have a beer.