Every Halloween it's our tradition to make chili. There are literally hundreds of recipes to choose from! Some chili's are spicy, some mild, some are made with chicken, some with beef, the list goes on and on. This year I decided to make my own version of chili using a variety of ingredients that lend themselves to my palate (and my boys) and was crock pot friendly at the same time.
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 lb. ground beef, (I used Grass Fed Beef)
1 lb. mild Italian sausage
2 large cloves garlic
1 tablespoon pepper
4 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin seed
2 teaspoons mustard powder
2 tablespoons ground oregano
1 28oz. & 1 14oz. can Muir Glen fire roasted crushed tomatoes
1 6oz. can tomato paste
3 tablespoons salt
1 cup dry white wine
2 14oz. cans dark Kidney beans
1-2 14oz. cans light Kidney beans
2 teaspoons Ancho (ground chile's)
3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley
Method:
1) Saute together onions, green pepper, sausage, and beef until they begin to brown. Drain off as much fat as possible.
2) Next, add garlic, pepper, chili powder, cumin seed, mustard powder, oregano, salt, tomato paste and the two cans of tomatoes. Transfer this to a crock pot and set the temperature to low.
3) Meanwhile, de glaze the pan you cooked the above ingredients in with the 1 cup of white wine. Cook the wine down to 1/4 cup and then add to the crock pot. At this point the chili can cook on low for 5-6 hours.
4) An hour or so before serving add the kidney beans, fresh parsley and Ancho. Continue to cook!
5) Serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese, pumpkin seeds, black olives, fresh parsley, or whatever else you please. Enjoy!
Oh...and yes our pumpkin seeds are HUGE!
Because our pumpkin was HUGE!
