Recipe Talk

McCall's Sweet Heat Chili

Sweet Heat Chili

Serves probably 6-8 if not more

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, diced
1 large green bell pepper, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
3 cloves of garlic, smashed or diced
1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
1 pound of ground beef, turkey, venison....whichever strikes your fancy
1 quart of beef stock (32 oz)
2 large cans (28 oz. each) of whole stewed tomatoes
1 can of kidney red beans
1 can of black beans
2 cups sun-dried tomatoes
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 teaspoon creole or cajun seasoning blend
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt to taste

Directions:
Over medium heat, saute first four ingredients (onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic) in olive oil for about 10 minutes.

Add ground beef and brown. When the meat is cooked, add the stock, bay leaves, dry mustard and cayenne. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 40 minutes.

Drain the sun-dried tomatoes (if using cans like I did) and add to pot. The original recipe calls for pureeing the stewed tomatoes -- I just dumped them in, we like chunky chili. :) Rinse the canned beans in water, then add to the pot along with brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt and the cajun or creole seasoning.

Mix well and simmer over low heat for two hours, stirring occasionally.
Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

We served ours with cornbread and honey butter. pure awesomeness.