Chile con Carne

When I was growing up the only things that I was an expert at cooking were chocolate chip cookies and brownies.  One of my first meals I tried as an adult was chili.  It required soaking the beans overnight.  I followed the recipe exactly.  The result was chili that was hardly edible due to the beans being too hard.  The following recipe requiring canned beans was a much better choice for me.  Make sure you use beans that are not “water packed” as part of the flavor is derived from the liquid the beans are packed in.

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup minced onion

1 cup diced green pepper

2 tablespoons salad oil

1 pound ground beef

2  15 ounce cans tomato sauce

1 teaspoon salt 

2 teaspoons chili powder

Dash of black pepper

2  16 ounce cans Bush’s kidney beans (either light or dark)

4 ounces canned mushrooms, chopped

Ritz Crackers (optional)

In a large pot, sauté garlic, onion, and green pepper in hot oil until soft.  Add ground beef and cook slowly until lightly browned.  Stir often breaking meat apart.  Mix in tomato sauce and seasonings.  Cook tightly covered over low heat for 20 minutes.  Add undrained kidney beans and the mushrooms.  Stir well.  Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.  I like to crumble Ritz Crackers over the surface after it is served.

Next Month:  Chocolate Delight