MAMA RENEE'S CHILI
A list of ingredients
Football is happening now, and Saturday into Sunday morning, a storm so extreme happened that the thunder cracks woke me from a dead sleep multiple times. And I sleep to a rainstorm recording every night by choice. This is to say that I woke up on Sunday morning with a clear mission and the mission was chili.
I know I’m not the only person who wakes up every morning and immediately thinks about what I’m going to cook and/or eat for the rest of the day, but I have to say I am incredibly grateful to be this kind of person. I got out of bed and went straight to the Dirty Bird (the Northside Giant Eagle), and I was making chili before 9 am.
The chili that I make is the chili that I grew up on and I would call it a “classic chili.” Some foods open the door to arguments for some reason and chili definitely falls under that category as I’m sure most of you know. Beans, no beans, beef, brisket, vegetables, spaghetti, etc. It doesn’t have to be this way. Diversity is the spice of life. Everyone can have exactly what they want exactly the way they want it and it’s all beautiful. I would like to put an end to the yucking of yums everywhere. All chili is created equally. But also, being based in Ohio and pledging their allegiance to the Bengals, we can’t really trust the opinion of those from Cincinnati.
Another thing about my family chili is that I don’t have a recipe and I find it very difficult to write one. In my family, we have one recipe – the meatball recipe. Everything else that we make is a list of ingredients and that’s it. You know what to do and in what order to do it. If not, you figure it out or you stand in your kitchen on the phone with your mom, aunt, or grandma until the dish is done. When chili was going to be made it was a vat. My mom worked odd hours and would sometimes be working all night and sleeping during the day and then waking up and going back to work. So, to prepare for these times when we might have had to fend for ourselves, she would make “a vat of chili.” I know that I am not the only home cook who knows what to do with a list of ingredients, so that is what I am presenting you with today.
Mama Renee’s Chili
Ground beef
Yellow onion, diced
Green bell pepper, diced
Tomato paste
Crushed tomatoes
Kidney Beans
Chili Beans
Spices
Chili powder
Cumin
Smoked paprika
Garlic powder
Oregano
Salt
This chili was made in a 12 quart stock pot and yielded around 9 quarts.
Brown the ground beef and when the juices start to run, add all the spices to the pot. Add onion and bell pepper and sweat. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes, and beans. Add a little water if it seems too thick. Bring to a boil then simmer on low for one hour. Continue to taste and add more cumin, chili powder, and salt to taste. Add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or the juice of a lime to finish. Add chopped cilantro and scallions. Serve with sour cream, cheese, onions, crackers, etc. Dip a peanut butter sandwich into it. Put it on a hot dog.
I recommend starting with 3 lb. ground beef and the rest is up to you. Making chili can be an all day affair and you can add more beans, tomatoes, spices, or vegetables at any point. Everybody is going to get to know each other in the pot.
You can use any beans in any combination that you prefer. I recommend dark or light kidney beans, pinto beans, and black beans.
In addition to green bell peppers, you can use any green chili in any combination that you prefer.
When the chili is nearly done I like to add some bittersweet chocolate and a large spoonful of peanut butter. Or you can just throw in like 3 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups if you have them on hand. Nobody is going to taste chocolate or peanut butter in the finished product but adding these ingredients lends a nice richness and further depth of flavor.
I was only joking about Cincinnati. It is the birthplace of one of my favorite humans on this earth and because of that (and that alone) it will always have a special place in my heart.
I am 2000 percent serious about the peanut butter sandwich thing. This is something that I picked up from a brothmonger patron a couple years ago and I haven’t eaten chili without a peanut butter sandwich since the first time I tried it. Don’t sleep on it.
Love yinz so much
Happy Monday
-the BMer
