Chili With Sausage and Jalapeno

Ridgely's Note:

This is a real tasty sweet and spicy beanless chili that I tried from Bon Appetit magazine. The recipe was found in the RSVP section as a request from a restaurant in Rochester New York called Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. We loved it and beans could be added easily if you are a bean fan.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 3/4 lb italian sweet sausage, casing removed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 jalapeno chiles, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes in puree
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 pinch cayenne
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• hot pepper sauce
• grated monterey jack cheese
• chopped red onion
• sour cream

Directions:

1. Heat 2 T.
2. oil in a large pot over high heat.
3. Add beef and sausage; cook until brown, breaking up with spoon, about 8 minutes.
4. Transfer meat mixture to bowl.
5. Reduce heat to medium high.
6. Add remaining oil to pot.
7. Add onion, bell pepper, jalapenos and bay leaves.
8. Cook until vegetables are soft, stirring frequently.
9. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute.
10. Return meat mixture to pot.
11. Mix in tomatoes and next 7 ingredients.
12. Simmer 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
13. Mix in lime juice.
14. Season with salt.
15. Serve chili in bowls, passing hot sauce, cheese, red onion and sour cream separately.

Reviews

[Derf]

Excellant!! I did add one large can of red kidney beans, we do like beans in our chili, I am sure though that is would be equally good without. The seasonings result in wonderful flavour, but not quite the heat that we like, so I added a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. I only had one tin of crushed tomatoes so I used a tin or whole tomatoes for the second one, also just cut up the sausage and left them in chunks. Next time I may try hot Italian sausage. loved the touch of lime juice, gave it a nice twang. I made the whole recipe and will freeze some for later. Thanks for posting , I will make it again.

[iris5555]

I made this recipe when I saw it in Bon Appetit and it's become a favorite. I usually simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour, but otherwise make the recipe as is.

[Lizzie-Babette]

Well, now I have a new chili recipe - DH says it's better than his (and he prides himself on his chili!). I made this exactly as directed, and it was excellent - the spike of lime juice was the "secret ingredient", I thought. I do plan to tweak it a bit next time - will add more jalapenos, some hot italian sausage, and will not cook the vegetables until soft, since we like a bit of crunch in chili. We also like our food on the spicy side, so will probably add either crushed red pepper flakes or a few dashes of hot sauce. Also, will let it simmer a little longer than 25 minutes, to really allow the flavors to blend and mellow. This is a real winner - just add serve with cold beer and cornbread, and it's perfect for fall and football-watching. Thanks for a great recipe, Ridgely.