Easy Chili

Happy Monday to all! I hope you all had a great New Year's and that your 2011 is a happy, healthy one full of love, and fun! I was inspired by a friend of mine to make chili this week. I wrote a recipe for a very easy chili that can be frozen for a fast week night dinner for her as she told me she has never cooked chili before. Well, Val, this one is for you...have fun with it, my friend:)

Easy Chili

2 Tblsp olive oil

1 lb ground beef (I use lean or extra lean)

1 sweet or Spanish onion, chopped

2 Cloves garlic, chopped finely

1 Green pepper, chopped

1 large (or two small) stalks of celery

1 small jalapeno pepper (this is optional, depending on how hot you want your chili) seeded and chopped

Splash red wine

2 cans of tomatoes, chopped, with liquid

Tomato paste (1 o 2 Tblsp)

Ground cumin

Chili powder

Cocoa

Salt and pepper

1 Can kidney beans, drained

Heat 1 Tblsp of the oil in a large pot. Add the beef and cook until no longer pink and the meat is just beginning to brown. Drain the meat, but, do not rinse it – it has a ton of flavour and once it is rinsed the flavour goes bye bye! Take the meat out of the pan and keep warm. Add the other Tblsp of oil to the pan and heat up. Add the onion, pepper, celery and jalapeno pepper– cook until transluscent and soft. Add the garlic and stir until the garlic is fragrant. Put the meat back into the pot and give it a good stir. Deglaze the pot with the red wine, then, add a palm full of cumin and two palm fulls of chili powder. Add salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes, the tomato paste, and a tsp of the cocoa. Leave this to cook at med heat, so, it is just simmering for an hour or so, stirring occasionally. After an hour, add the kidney beans and let simmer for another half hour to an hour. Enjoy with a dollop of sour cream and freshly grated tex mex cheese! yum!

This recipe freezes wonderfully!

Happy January everyone!