Enter in the crock-pot!
I love my crock-pot! If you are a person with things to do, this is totally a worth while investment! I mean you can make so many things from soups to pulled pork to even desserts, plus you can just set it and forget it!
This week I decided that I would use my slow-cooker to make chili;the added factor of it being only 4 degrees out helped push me in the chili direction.
When it comes to my chili, I feel the simpler the better (I mean the whole point of this is to make life easier.) I feel like chefs on TV make chili seem like chili has to be labor and time when it is just throwing flavors you enjoy in a pot! Now that being said, I make my chili with some ingredients that may not be as accessible to everyone as they are to me. I grew-up raising sheep and that is the primary meat my family eats. Getting ground beef as a child was a treat not a staple!
So this is how I make my chili. In a large saute pan I brown up a pound of hot lamb sausage. I use lamb but you can use anything. However I would use some type of sausage. I feel like the sausage does most of the seasoning for you without any of the guess work. I always go hot (personally my favorite is our chorizo lamb sausage) but if hot is not your thing choose whatever flavor you want. Once the sausage is browned, I drain off the fat and add the meat to the crock-pot. Next I saute a medium onion until it is translucent and then add to the pot. With the meat and onions I then add a 28 oz. can of tomato sauce and 28 oz. can of crushed or diced tomatoes (which ever floats your boat), a can of black beans (drained), and a can of dark red kidney beans (drained).
This is the base for my chili and I think it is great as is but sometimes I like to add a few different things-sometimes I add a can of corn. You can add whatever vegetables you like-maybe some bell peppers or some chilies. This last time I added a nice porter to the chili. I added half of the bottle at the beginning of the cooking process and then added the other half, half way through the cooking process. I find that the chili usually needs some salt and pepper and maybe some garlic powder or adobo seasoning. You can add whatever you enjoy (that is the wonder of chili).
So once you have added all of the ingredients, just put the crock-pot on low and you can go to work and come home to have dinner all ready. If you want the chili done faster put the crock-pot on high.
Now if you want something different from the traditional cornbread side to compliment your chili, I suggest Rachel Ray's Sausage, Potato and Cheese waffles.
ingredients
- 1 link sweet Italian sausage (about 3 ounces), casing discarded
- 1 baking potato, grated and excess water squeezed out
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/4 teaspoons pepper
- 2 cups milk
- 2 large eggs
In a medium skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 5 minutes. Add the potato and butter, lower the heat and simmer until the butter is melted, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool, about 10 minutes.In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir in the milk and eggs until smooth. Stir in the sausage-potato mixture.Using a waffle maker, cook the waffles according to the manufacturer’s directions
Enjoy your chili, let me know about your own versions!
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