Red and chili and tomato

Tonight, I'm cooking a giant batch of red chili, my second in seven days. Excessive? Nah.

Considering that the sun now sets at 5 pm (thanks, Daylight Savings Time!) and that it rains constantly, I hardly ever make the stuff. In fact, you should be pleased with the amount of restraint I exercise in the chili department. It's not like I've entered any cook-offs lately.

Speaking of chili cook-offs, have you ever attended one? My home town has one downtown every fall. For around 5 bucks, you received a plastic spoon, a card for voting, chili from 20 or 30 booths.

Each booth had a gimmick -- chefs in red-checkered aprons, five-alarm chili, venison chili, mystery chili, green chili, all-bean chili, no-bean chili....the list went on. I remember that the cooks all competed for several prizes - to serve the hottest, the most unique, best red, best white, best green chili. And at every booth, the cooks sold their wares in the style of infomercial hosts:

"We're using the hottest chili peppers from Mexico! You can't get them any hotter!"

"Everybody knows that firemen make the best chili!"

"If you know beans about chili, you know chili ain't got no beans."

"This is the best venison chili ever. We killed the deer ourselves."

Guys mostly competed for the Hottest Chili title, as if ingesting mountains of capsicum translates directly to manliness. Lady's church groups prepared safe white and green chili, and a mixture of bikers, restaurateurs, and regional oddballs experimented with meats (buffalo or ostrich, anyone?)

Chili, to me, should rest cozily in my stomach and have enough heat to warm my belly. It should not weigh me down so much that there's no room for pie, and the heat should not scar the inside of my mouth. And the mystery meats can wait for another day.
So, here's a chili that suits me fine. I saute the onions and peppers until they're soft, add tomatoes for moisture, and stir everything into almost-cooked beans. Then, there is only the question of some seasoning and simmering before the work is done.

Kate's Red Chili

serves 8

• 1 big can (24 oz) diced organic tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato sauce
  
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup Sriracha hot sauce
  
• 4 tbsp. chili powder (I used El Guapo New Mexico chile powder)
  
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
  
• 2 cups dry beans (mix chili, pinto, navy, kidney)
• 1 medium green or red tomato
• 1 medium red pepper
  
• 1 large yellow onion
  
• 2 Tb. butter
• sea salt
• bay leaves
  
• olive oil

Soak the beans overnight in cold water, or use a quick soak method. Drain the beans. In a large pot, cover them with fresh, cold water. Bring the water to a boil, and let the beans cook for 20 - 30 minutes while you prepare the veggies.

Chop the onion finely, then transfer it to a skillet. Saute the onions in butter. When they wilt, dice the fresh tomato and pepper, and add them to the fray. Toss in a tablespoon of olive oil and stir. Let the veggies cook on medium heat until the onion is translucent.

By now, the beans should be halfway cooked -- soft on the outside with a hard interior. Add the onion/pepper/tomato mixture, plus the canned tomato and tomato sauce, to the beans. The chili should have a thin consistency; if it doesn't, add a tomato can of water.

Stir in the Sriracha, chili powder, cumin, salt, and bay leaves. Adjust your seasonings to taste, then bring the heat to a low simmer. Let the chili cook, covered, until the beans are soft and tender. This could take from 1 to 2 hours, so peek under the lid every so often and check on the chili. Add water as needed. I've found that the spices help thicken the chili, and that it's better to boil off too much water than to not have enough. :-)

When the chili is to your liking, remove the bay leaves and serve with crackers or corn bread.

If you liked this recipe, you might also enjoy:

Butternut squash soup

Cajun shrimp and rice

Easy tamale pie