A spicy beefy stew with a side of cornbread
Dang, today is national chili day and in honor of the occasion…
This is and has been for a long time, my go-to chili recipe. A pot was made over the weekend, as my loved one healed from some surgery. The recipe is adapted from the Silver Palate cookbook. The cookbook that had a shop years ago on the Upper West Side.
The Silver Palate recipe is beefy, and a little Italian, thanks to the sweet sausage. And the kick depends on the age of the chili powder, more about that later. If the weekend’s shopping list included ground beef and Italian sausage, this could qualify as a weeknight dinner and served with store-bought heated cornbread.
Yes, it’s a long list of ingredients, and I’m sure most of the spices are stowed away in the back of the pantry. Isn’t it time to just use them? Also in the pantry and hidden are cans of crushed tomatoes purchased on sale months ago, along with the kidney beans that were part of the three bean salad from last summer. So fire them up!
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound sweet Italian sausage removed from casings and broken up
1 1/2 pounds ground beef,chuck
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons ground cumin
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 28 ounce cans chopped tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 15 ounce can dark-red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup pitted black olives, chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
1 lime cut into wedges
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Over medium heat, heat a large pot and add the olive oil. Add the onions and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, sausage meat and ground beef and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the meats are well browned.
2. Stir in the he tomato paste, garlic, cumin, chili powder, mustard, oregano, salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and kidney beans. Stir well and simmer, uncovered, for another 20 minutes Then add the parsley and dill.
Taste and adjust seasonings. Add olives; simmer for 5 minutes more to heat through.
3. Serve with sour cream and wedges of lime.
probably serves 6
