Divaliscious Chili - How to make great tasting chili

I happened to be adding food photos to my flickr account when I barely had a chili photo up and someone messaged me for the recipe - when I looked at this blog, I thought I had already posted it - hence it was only on my grouprecipes.com page - so here it is folks, you asked for it, you got it. Divaliscious Chili.

This is a great to freeze, since it is not difficult to make - and you end up with making a large amount - so freeze half.

The wonderful gentle heat you get from this chili and its' amazing zest and taste comes from 5 different heat sources, making this chili complex and affecting every inch of your tongue without burning it. This is my version of everyone’s favorite super bowl party dish - though it's not just for Super Bowls! Easy, fast and even better the next day! This one is not too spicy, but is fresh looking and tasting with bright flavors. This is not your mom’s canned version if she dared to do such as thing to you when you were young!!!

Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground beef - at room temperature (or at least 30 minutes out of the fridge - don't "shock your meat kids" - sounds naughty doesn't it? lol)
4 fresh Italian sausages (2 sweet & 2 hot)
1 large onion - diced
1 med. Bermuda onion – diced
4-5 fresh garlic cloves – minced
4 stalks of scallions – minced/sliced
2 large green sweet peppers
2 large red sweet peppers
OR switch out 2 of the peppers for other colors if your budget can afford it - such as orange and yellow – chili looks incredibly amazing when you do this and doesn’t affect the taste any.
4-6 tablespoons of olive oil
1 jalapeño pepper – minced with out seeds as they add even more heat (add more peppers if you like it hotter – keep seeds in if you are a football player)
1 large can of crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
1 large can of diced tomatoes (28 oz)
28oz or less Water from rinsed out tomato cans (see below)
3 cans dark kidney beans
2 cans of your choice beans (I used 1 can of black beans and 1 can of roman beans for added interest this time)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1-1/2 tablespoons salt
3/4 tablespoons pepper (freshly ground preferred)
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons freshly minced cilantro
2 tablespoons freshly dried oregano
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon dried cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
6 good shakes of Tabasco sauce
3 good shakes of hot sauce
2 bay leaves

Directions

Put large pot on stove and add ½ of olive oil (say about 3 tablespoons) and put heat on under pot.
Add diced onions (both bermuda and spanish/white)
Saute on medium heat stirring occasionally and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
Add cumin, fresh ground pepper , chili flakes to cooking onions. I like these spices to heat up, so that their flavor’s are enhanced before adding the meat to brown.
Add sliced sausages and continue cooking till onions are looking translucent.
Add freshly minced garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add room-temperature ground beef, stir frequently, and “break down” meat so you have no large “clumps” – some clumps ok, but not huge chunks.
Add additional olive oil only if needed.
While meat is browning, take colander and place in sink.
Open up each can of beans and place into the colander that should be in the sink by now.
Run water over beans thoroughly, so that all that surgery juice has been rinsed off.
Check pot, if meat is completely cooked and not looking pink, add 1/3 cup of the balsamic vinegar.
Don’t have balsamic? You can substitute red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar or heck red wine – you want the acidity here folks, or the juice of one lemon – it will add the brightness to your chili that I discussed earlier.
When adding your acidic liquid of your choice (balsamic vinegar preferred), scrape bottom of pot with spoon to lift up those little extras what I call “flavor-enhancers” that were created from the caramelized onions and sausages browning.
Add all the now rinsed beans from the colander to the pot.
Next add the entire contents of the 2 large cans of tomatoes (1 crushed and 1 diced)
Take each emptied can of tomatoes and add water to each to fill by half.
Swirl gently around getting any last bits of those tomato juices and place this water as well into stock pot.
Add all remaining ingredients expect for one green pepper and one red pepper.
You will add these peppers during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
Stir gently over medium heat till it starts to boil.
Lower heat to a simmer or extra low and place lid on top of pot.
Let simmer for an hour at least. I let it simmer for over 2 hours or more.
Stirring every 20 minutes or when your up getting yourself another beer during your super bowl party.
30 minutes prior to serving, or If you are reheating the next day, since you made this the day before your party, add the additional green and red peppers 30 minutes before serving. This will help brighten the colors and the peppers will have a little crunch to them.
Serve this with tortilla chips, additional fresh minced chives on top of each bowl, grated cheese of your choice, and a dollop of sour cream. Voila, you are now a chili master.

Coming up on my next post - Gumbo...

So thank again my flickr friend from the bottom of my chili bowl! It you hadn't ask for the recipe, I would never have known it wasn't posted here!

As always feel free to leave your comments, ask questions and share your ideas. I look forward to hearing from you! -Divaliscious (aka Leah Quinn).

Leah Quinn is a writer specializing on food, health, well being and entertainment and is a multi-media artist living in New York. Stop by her food site to learn many more healthy and interesting recipes at http://dinner-and-jam.blogspot.com and to find links to her other sites and blogs.