Ingredients:
6 ounces hot turkey Italian sausage
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 garlic head, minced
1 pound fine-chopped sirloin *1
2 jalapeño pepper, chopped [or 1 seranno]*2
3 tablespoons American chili powder *3
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons tomato paste [not sauce]
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
3 bay leaves
1 1/4 cups Merlot or other fruity red wine
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chopped
2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
¾ cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese [the sharper the better!]
½-¾ cup sour cream
How to:
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.*4
Remove casings from sausage and break up the meat.
Add sausage, onion, bell pepper, garlic and sirloin to pan; cook 8-10 minutes or until sausage and beef are browned, stirring to crumble. Keep poking at it with a wooden spoon to keep the meat separated. Don't over do it - later it will separate naturally.
Add chili powder, brown sugar, cumin, tomato paste, oregano, black pepper, Kosher salt and bay leaves, and cook for 1-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Stir in wine, tomatoes, and kidney beans; bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Uncover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add about ½ the cheese so it melts and melds into the core sauce.
Discard the bay leaves. Serve in bowls.
Sprinkle each serving with the remaining cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream.
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n.b.: Like most stews, gumbos and soups, 8-12 hours will help to improve over-all consistency and flavor. 24 hours isn't necessary. You can make it first thing in the morning or the night before, just prior to crashing.
*1 - Sirloin is suggested as you aren't actually cooking this for more than about 1.5 hrs. In a stew, with 2-4 hrs of heat, you could use stewing beef. But it would take a lot more slowly-applied heat to properly break down the connective tissues so that it's chewy but not tough.
I usually get a couple of sirloin steaks and cut it fine by hand. It give the chili a rustic, natural look. If you don't have time for this, get your local butcher to grind it coarsely for you. Failing that, get the best looking ground beef you have available.
*2 - If you can't get Jalapeno or Serrano peppers, consider using a commonly available chipotle hot-pepper sauce. Failing even that, use some Tobasco for heat. If you're using sauce to add heat, do it near the end, before serving, and adjust for your own personal taste...
*3 - American chili powder is usually made from milder, dried and smoked chillies. It's flavor, not it's heat, is what we like it for. If your chili powder is more than a year old, toss it out and get some fresh stuff. You'll notice the difference, I swear it.
*4 - Dutch Oven - basically, a large, cast-iron and ceramic enameled pot with a lid. Use whatever you have that you can move easily - this can get heavy! I used to use an 8-quart Stock Pot from Calphalon - it was heavy gauge aluminum. It's not critical.
6 ounces hot turkey Italian sausage
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 garlic head, minced
1 pound fine-chopped sirloin *1
2 jalapeño pepper, chopped [or 1 seranno]*2
3 tablespoons American chili powder *3
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons tomato paste [not sauce]
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
3 bay leaves
1 1/4 cups Merlot or other fruity red wine
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chopped
2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
¾ cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese [the sharper the better!]
½-¾ cup sour cream
How to:
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.*4
Remove casings from sausage and break up the meat.
Add sausage, onion, bell pepper, garlic and sirloin to pan; cook 8-10 minutes or until sausage and beef are browned, stirring to crumble. Keep poking at it with a wooden spoon to keep the meat separated. Don't over do it - later it will separate naturally.
Add chili powder, brown sugar, cumin, tomato paste, oregano, black pepper, Kosher salt and bay leaves, and cook for 1-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Stir in wine, tomatoes, and kidney beans; bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Uncover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add about ½ the cheese so it melts and melds into the core sauce.
Discard the bay leaves. Serve in bowls.
Sprinkle each serving with the remaining cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream.
____________________________________
n.b.: Like most stews, gumbos and soups, 8-12 hours will help to improve over-all consistency and flavor. 24 hours isn't necessary. You can make it first thing in the morning or the night before, just prior to crashing.
*1 - Sirloin is suggested as you aren't actually cooking this for more than about 1.5 hrs. In a stew, with 2-4 hrs of heat, you could use stewing beef. But it would take a lot more slowly-applied heat to properly break down the connective tissues so that it's chewy but not tough.
I usually get a couple of sirloin steaks and cut it fine by hand. It give the chili a rustic, natural look. If you don't have time for this, get your local butcher to grind it coarsely for you. Failing that, get the best looking ground beef you have available.
*2 - If you can't get Jalapeno or Serrano peppers, consider using a commonly available chipotle hot-pepper sauce. Failing even that, use some Tobasco for heat. If you're using sauce to add heat, do it near the end, before serving, and adjust for your own personal taste...
*3 - American chili powder is usually made from milder, dried and smoked chillies. It's flavor, not it's heat, is what we like it for. If your chili powder is more than a year old, toss it out and get some fresh stuff. You'll notice the difference, I swear it.
*4 - Dutch Oven - basically, a large, cast-iron and ceramic enameled pot with a lid. Use whatever you have that you can move easily - this can get heavy! I used to use an 8-quart Stock Pot from Calphalon - it was heavy gauge aluminum. It's not critical.
