Gardening to distraction

Chili Fun

We all have them, a special chili recipe with a special ingredient of some sort. There are even chili cook-offs that feature beer, chocolate, peanut butter, or that secret ingredient I can’t tell you about because if I did it wouldn’t be a secret any more.

The toppings are almost as much fun. Starting with sour cream and grated cheese, then migrating to crumbled crackers, pounded potato chips, hot peppers, anchovies – yes, a friend of mine insists on anchovies on his chili – and one I haven’t tried yet but want to, chopped up red onions. I love red onions, especially the ones I liberate from my refrigerator crisper that get a head starting to grow before I get to use them in a salad. Mid-winter I am tempted to call my crisper my cold frame but that’s really cheating, plants should be growing outside in an enclosure for it to count as a cold frame.

In any case, the key to any good chili recipe is versatility. This is a recipe I developed from a very fancy recipe a Washington, D.C. friend shared from her days entertaining visiting diplomats. I like it because it’s ready to eat as soon as you make it and it can have a different personality depending on what you add. If you first sauté garlic with onions and green peppers, this will be sweeter. If you put the garlic in with the tomatoes and beans, it will be more salty.

You can let it simmer while the football game is on, it will just make the flavors richer.

Have extra teenagers coming over? Add a can of pinto beans.

No extra beans but have tomatoes? Add those instead, it will make this more like a thick soup. As I said, versatility is the name of this chili.

Charlotte’s Easy (and Versatile) Chili Recipe

1 cut up medium yellow onion

1 cut up medium green pepper

2-4 cloves of garlic to taste

1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 lb ground chuck

1 can red pinto beans

12 oz defrosted or canned tomatoes, or 1 can stewed tomatoes

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp salt

Mix red pinto beans and tomatoes in a pot with chili powder; set aside.

Cook onions in extra virgin olive oil until clear; add green peppers, garlic and ground chuck. Cook on low until brown. Strain to remove extra grease. I use a colander inside a mixing bowl and let it drain. Mix with beans and tomatoes until warm. Add salt to taste.

Serve as is or add a few saltine crackers or a handful of oyster crackers. Anchovies purely optional.

This will make about 6-8 half cup servings and can easily be doubled. It freezes well, no cold frame required.

Charlotte Ekker Wiggins is a beekeeper, gardener and sometimes cook. Published by El Dorado Springs Sun once in print and online with permission. Copyright 2017, all rights reserved. Contact Charlotte at chargardens@gmail.com.

CHILLY DAY CHILI – This chili includes ingredients I grew in my garden. Add a glass of milk and a cold winter day to fully appreciate. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins).