Comforting Bowl of Chili & “Trust Me” When God Doesn’t Make Sense

Bright sun shining on the white snow outside, a cozy fire in the fireplace stove, sharing the love seat with my sweetheart and warm bowls of chili.  How’s that for a nice Sunday afternoon!

Chili con Carne

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon bacon fat or vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 2 cups chopped yellow onion
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 (15-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 cups water
• (I add 2 15-oz, drained and rinsed kidney beans at the end of the cooking time and simmer a few more minutes until heated through)

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the meat and stir with a long-handled wooden spoon to break up the pieces. Cook, stirring, until the meat is brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Add the onion, green bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, Essence, salt, cumin, oregano, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes.

Put the whole tomatoes in a large mixing bowl and squeeze them with your hands to break them into pieces. Add the squeezed tomatoes and their juices, the tomato paste, sugar, and water to the pot. Stir well and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the chili from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Remove the pot from the heat, ladle into large bowls.

Essence (Emeril’s Creole Seasoning):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Yield: about 2/3 cup

Recipe from “New New Orleans Cooking”, by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.
Yield: 6 servings (More if you add beans)

Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial

FREE gift for subscribers!

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll love my email. Subscribe to have updates delivered to your inbox (about every three weeks) and receive FREE gifts available exclusively for subscribers. Don’t miss new content with recipes and ideas to inspire & encourage you. We would love for you to join our community. Just click the subscribe button below.