Monday, February 7, 2011

#18: Mom's Chili

Dear Tiffany,
Whenever there's something I've eaten at home but don't remember how to make (or what combination of spices, or how much space a cup of beans will take up when cooked...), I ask my mom.  As much as I love to find recipes online, I trust Mom's first because I know they are solid.  They're usually healthier too.


Such was the case when I wanted to make chili: first, email mom.  She's the one who tells me that "6 cups of dry beans make 5 1/2 quarts of cooked beans.   that is a full  (6 qt) crock pot with no room for meat or onions.  (I have to leave a little room so it doesn't boil over.)" 
My rule of thumb: a cup for every quart, minus 1 so you have room for the goodies.  So, for my 6 quart pot I used 5 cups of beans.  If you want your chili a little more beany and a little less soupy, add an extra half cup or so.


This is Mom's recipe: the chili we had at church this week.


The Basics:
Prep time: About 10 minutes prep time and then in the slow cooker all day...or longer.
Good for leftovers: yes!  You can even freeze them, or make your own frozen burritos!
servings:  24 (for a 6 qt pot)
cost: about $10



Ingredients:
5-5 1/2 cups dry pinto beans
2-3 lbs of whatever beef or pork is the best price (I used ground beef) Ground turkey is good too but not as cheap. If its not ground, cut into small chunks.
1 onion, chopped
fresh garlic (I used 2 tablespoons minced) (If you use garlic powder, make sure it doesn't have salt!)
1 tsp New Mexico chili powder
1 tsp california chili powder (If you can't find these chili powders, your basic chili powder will do fine)
lots of cumin, 3 or 4 tablespoons, Cumin is that bold spice without the 'heat'. the chili powders give the burn...
1/2 tsp black pepper
3-4 tbsp Italian seasoning. crumble it with your fingers.
salt to taste



The Process:
Soak the beans overnight in a large (very large!) bowl or tupperware of water.  They will expand as they absorb the water, so you may need to add more water partway through.  While you can technically cook them without soaking, they're better this way and it reduces the "gas factor."


Drain the bean water, rinse, and quickly pick through to make sure there are no rocks or icky pieces (don't spend too much time on this).  Add the beans to the crockpot, along with your garlic, onion, meat, and spices...but do NOT add the salt.  If you add the salt, the beans won't soften.  Trust me.
  Fill to near the top with water- make sure to cover your beans completely with an extra 2-3 inches of water.  Cook on low all day (at least 8-10 hours), or longer- the chili we had at church had cooked for about 24 hours, believe it or not!  With beans, as long as you make sure its covered with water, you're safe for quite awhile.  If you're going to cook for more than 8-10 hours, you might want to stir every once in awhile and just check that there's still enough water.  (If the water is absorbed while its cooking, the beans on top get dry and burn)  A longer cook time means softer beans and more thoroughly absorbed flavors.


Once the beans are cooked, and about an hour before serving, add salt and extra chili powder (if needed) to taste, depending on how spicy you like your chili.  You may wish to add some more cumin as well.  Stir well and serve as a soup or with tacos or nachos.


Notes
Worried about your electric bill? Don't be.  The crockpot lady found this nifty chart from First Energy Corp. Ohio, which states that a crock pot costs about 2 cents per hour to run.
Spice it Up! The best place to get your spices is at a Mexican market, or in the little plastic bags they have in the Mexican aisle of the grocery store.  These are much cheaper than the little glass containers in the spice aisle.  If you can't find "New Mexico" or "California" chili powders, just go with regular chili powder; this is what I used.
Leftovers are great to freeze, but I used mine to make my own frozen burritos!
Where's the Beef?! If you're using ground beef, you may want to cook it on the stove top separately and add to your crockpot at any point in the cooking process.  Why?  Well, when you cook ground beef, you know all that fat that cooks out of it and ends up in the pan?  Do you really want all of that in your soup?
Vegetarians can eat great chili too!  Just leave out the meat in this recipe.


Enjoy!
<3 joy

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