Spam! (Well, chili, actually)

[mousme]

Okay, flist: I need a good but simple chili recipe. Help?

Comments

[talyesin.livejournal.com]

One can red kidney beans
One can lentils
Two cans chopped tomatoes (Italian, preferably)
One can tomato paste (ditto)
Meat to taste (I always made it veggie, myself)
One package Old El Paso Chili Mix
Chili peppers to taste

[talyesin.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah - mix 'em all up in a sauce pan, let stew an hour or so.

You can add more beans if you're especially keen.

[longpig.livejournal.com]

If you have a crockpot all chili recipes are simple! That being said... Here's what I do:

Brown:
ground beef (1 pound maybe? I dunno, a package)

Cook until translucent:
1 onion, chopped

Dump in pot with:

2 cans tomatoes (chopped, whole, whatever's cheapest)
1 can kidney beans
3 cloves garlic, chopped
chili powder to taste and/or chopped up dried chilis
a bit of cumin
a bit of worcestershire sauce
a bit of hot/tabasco sauce

If you're using a slowcooker you can leave it on low overnight or while you're at work... come home to food, it's awesome! On the stovetop just simmer it as long as you can stand to wait -- a couple hours at least though.

[(Anonymous)]

My recipe is quite similar to yours, but I usually use one can of kidney beans and two of black beans. It also works with one can each of kidney, pinto and navy beans.

Oh, and I just read the ingredients off the back of a pack of El Passo chilli mix once, and now throw those in in the same rough proportions.

[toughlovemuse.livejournal.com]

Kitty's Chili
(I halved the recipe for you as the original makes HUGE amounts. This recipe will serve 3-4 people)

3/4-1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 green and 1/2 red pepper chopped (Or 1 whole red pepper or 1 whole green pepper)
1 medium onion or 1/2 spanish onion chopped
1/2 cup Diana Barbecue Sauce Gourmet Original
1 14-oz can tomato sauce
1 small can (14 oz if you can find it) diced tomatoes
1-2 cans red kidney beans (19 oz size)
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1.5 tablespoons chili powder (or to taste, more if you like more)
1 bay leaf.

Brown beef, drain fat. Add the onions and peppers and cook until the onions are soft. Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 1-2 hours. Remove bay leaves and serve.

I usually make mine in the crockpot and let it simmer all day. If you find that it's soupy, add some cornstarch mixed with water to thicken (I have to do this when I use my slow cooker because it doesn't boil down like it would if it were left on the stove.)

[toughlovemuse.livejournal.com]

Actually, I think you've tried this one at my place.

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Excellent! If that was the chili I had at your place, it's bound to be good.

Once again, I have cause to lament the fact that I have no slow cooker. *sigh*

One day, when I have money...

[alcinoe.livejournal.com]

This is close to what i do, but I add a healthy spoonful of cocoa poweder (yes that is "authentic" and I like black beans better. Normally I cook the seasonings in with the drained ground beef as I like the flavor of cooked spices.

[toughlovemuse.livejournal.com]

They're handy things to have, but not necessary -- a pot on the stove or in the oven works almost as well. The crockpot is just really convenient.

[ai731.livejournal.com]

I use Old El Paso Chili Mix (99 cents/packet at our local IGA, usually) with ground beef (or lamb), a couple of onions, and a tin each of kidney beans and black beans. Fast, easy & tasty.

[mickat24.livejournal.com]

I assume the size of bean cans are the usual 15 oz cans?

But what size canned tomatoes do you mean, the 15 oz or the 28 oz?

[talyesin.livejournal.com]

The big ones, 28 oz I guess.

Honestly, it's more "Hmm, I feel like adding more X this time" than any scientific amounts. If you like your chili tomato-y, get the big cans. If you like it more bean-y, get the small cans.

[talyesin.livejournal.com]

You can also add chick peas, white kidney beans, tofu, chopped onions, chopped garlic, mushrooms, chopped green peppers, chopped red peppers, italian sausage, pepperoni, ham...

[joane.livejournal.com]

I have to tell you that I tried this, with a couple of changes: a large can of tomato sauce, since we couldn't find 14 oz, and a package of mushrooms (chopped)... phenomenal. It has a sweetness to it that I assume comes from the bbq sauce and pepper, and it's just so, so good. We made it in a pot on the stove, and had no problems. Thank you!

(oh, and I was curious - is this recipe original to you, or from another source? I want to give appropriate credit on my recipe card.)

[toughlovemuse.livejournal.com]

Whee! Glad you liked it. It isn't my recipe, but one I got from my friend's mother (one Kitty Beiko, thus the "Kitty's Chili"). It's possible the 14-oz cans of tomato sauce don't exist (Originally the recipe called for a 28-oz can, I halved it, and I know you can get 14-oz cans of other stuff, assumed it was the same for tomato sauce).

Did you make it in a slow cooker or on the stove? Did you have any problems with it being too liquid? It's very soupy when I make it in the slow cooker and I end up thickening it.

Damn it, now I want chili for supper...

[toughlovemuse.livejournal.com]

Oops. My mistake. 14 oz cans of sauce I've seen. Diced tomatoes are the ones I can't find in small cans.

[joane.livejournal.com]

We made it in a big pot on the stove, and it's turned out very thick. Let me see if I can figure that one out... we bought whole tomatoes by accident, and Rich cut them with scissors while still in the can (so much easier than trying to slice anything), a 20-oz can or so. Ditto the Hunts tomato sauce - we could only find the bigger can, but it wasn't the full 28 oz. Probably ~ 19. Half a Spanish onion, a whole orange pepper, spices were all as listed.

Brought to a boil, then simmered for about two hours. The only other change I made was to drain the kidney beans (not listed in the directions, but it seemed like too much liquid), and added a small tub of mushrooms. My guess, looking at that all listed out, is that draining the kidney beans (2 14-oz cans) made the difference.