My Brother Vlad's Chili

Submitted by mabelle527

"very good, basic chili recipe that I use as a base when I make my own variations...posted for safekeeping!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 15mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb ground beef
• 28 ounces Italian-style diced tomatoes or 28 ounces plum tomatoes
• 6 ounces tomato paste
• 1 3⁄4 cups beef broth
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

directions

1. cook onions and garlic until soft.
2. add meat and brown.
3. add all other ingredients and simmer 30 min (if using whole tomatoes, use kitchen scissors to cut up into small pieces inside the can).
4. add beans and cook 20 min more.
5. serve with rice, cornbread, or tortilla chips!
6. variations: use 2 t spices; add 1 t cayenne; add chorizo (soft) to your chili base; use 1 bottle dark beer instead of beef broth (like negro modelo). I have used ground turkey instead of beef, and add a can of black beans or pinto beans (for 2 cans total of beans). I also like to add bell peppers (diced) and/or jalapeno peppers.

Reviews

[vladb]

Thanks for posting this "Mabelle". Since I'm the "brother Vlad" in the title I can share that yes this is a good base recipe, as my sister omitted some of my secret ingredients. You can find your own but (1) yes as written this is mild, and I find Ancho chile to be a good spice to add, and (2) you can sub out a strong beer (like Newcastle) for the broth. Be creative with it; last time I added Jim Beam and let it burn off the alcohol before adding the other wet ingredients. Enjoy!

 

[Baby Kato]

I made this chilli for my dh. He loved it, followed your recipe as written but did add a lot more chili powder and red pepper flakes. I added a sweet red pepper and a jalapeno pepper to the mixture, my dh loves his chilli hot. This was lovely, had nice flavor and was saucy. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe Mabelle. Made for Fall Pac 2012

 

[Tinkerbell]

My family really enjoyed this recipe. I had an orange bell pepper to use up, so I threw that in, but otherwise followed the recipe. Everyone except DD (6 years old) thought it could go a little hotter, but as a base recipe... this is perfect. It's totally stand alone as-is, but you can easily kick it up or clean out your fridge with it. Very versatile recipe, mabelle527! Thanks for sharing it. You've been adopted during Pick-A-Chef Fall 2012!