How Do You Make Chili?

We brown the hamburger, add tomatoes and chili beans. A very simple chili.

But, I must say that yours sounds DELICIOUS. I would love to try it one day. I like the idea of adding rice to it. I have had chili-mac before, and it does sound good on macaroni. I am sure that your husband was very happy.;D

I bronw my meat first, too, and after I drain it, if needed, I add the chili spices to the meat so that it gets absorbed with it. I then add my onions and celery and green peppers and fry it some more. I then add all of the other ingredients like tomatoes and kidney beans and pork and beans and more spices and let it simmer for a couple hours, on very low heat. I add some fresh mushrooms about 20 minutes before it is ready. I don't like them to get over cooked and mushy. Then it is done. I don't put too much chili spice in it while it is cooking because some of my family doesn't like it too hot and it can be added to the bowl if someone wants more added.

Lol, I am a little concerned when you say "and of course chili beans." We start with the raw pinto beans and either soak them over night or pressure cook them a few minutes and let them stand for an hour or so. Then I throw in a handful of purslane (called verdolagas in the Mexican markets) and pressure cook the beans for 40 minutes. Putting some meat in at this point is optional. If I have a nice chunk of pork shoulder, I can put it in at the same time as the purslane. If I am using prepared beef or my favorite, crumbled pork sausage, that I add after the beans have been cooked. If I am busy, I often just throw in a box (or can) of No-Bean chili at the end. We never put corn or rice in the chili, but rather serve it on the side. Our chili always starts with the beans. We do not add the cumin powder until after the beans have been cooked, as cooking it changes the flavor.

Those unfamiliar with purslane might like to know it is very closely related to that pernicious weed that loves to take over everyone's garden, and is so tenacious for life that if left untended it can grow so vigorously in the cracks of a sidewalk that it makes the concrete break. That "weed" is jam packed with healthy Omega-3 and is going to be the designer "herb" of the 20's I think. Ten years ago you couldn't even find an English-language reference to it online and now you can Google "purslane" or "verdolagas" and come up with pages of lovely information. Wahoo! We love chili.

Normally I use chili beans but last week I did it a bit different. I didn't have any canned chili beans but I had several kinds of dry beans. So I took a pound of black beans and added them to a pot of tomato juice. Than I added a lot of different seasoning. I used chipotle chili powder, ancho chili powder,onion powder,taco seasoning and some salt and pepper. I browned some ground bison with onion and green chili peppers and added that to the cooked beans. My husband likes potato in his chili so I cut one up and added that and simmered til the potato was done.
It was spicy but good. We add sour cream, cheddar cheese and sometimes crackers for serving.

Good morning, Vera5d... I start by browning my ground meat (beef, pork, or turkey) with some chopped onion. I drain the meat when it's finished browning thoroughly.

I then transfer it to my chili pot and add crushed tomatoes, a can of water equal to the amount of crushed tomatoes that I used, and a smaller can of diced tomatoes.

After that I add chili beans and seasonings which always includes chili powder. I like chili a lot more mild than hot.

Once in a while I add elbow macaroni for a chili mac, but usually that's what I do with the leftovers. Once in a while we put shredded cheese over top.

Then it just simmers for at least an hour. And of course it's always even better the next day.

Your recipe sounds delicious. When I make my chili I add a can of tomatoes, red and green peepers and red kidney beans onions, celery and a bit of garlic and chili seasoning. When I serve it it I put a dish of sour cream, a dish of shredded cheddar or mozarella and a dish of baby gherkins on the table so people can help themselves to their favourite topping. Sometimes I serve it with crusty bread, sometimes with rice and the odd time with boiled unmashed potatoes.