Chili to Calm the Spirit

     Grant asked for some chili this week, so I found a new recipe to try out: Dragon's Breath Chili from the Food Network. I was initially intrigued by the recipe because it calls for three different types of meat.


Dragon's Breath Chili


Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons bacon grease, or canola oil
• 2 red bell peppers, diced (about 2 cups)
• 2 jalapenos, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
• 3 Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled, chopped
• 3 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, chopped
• 2 yellow onions, diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 head garlic, minced (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 pound boneless chuck, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 2 pounds ground beef, coarse grind (I used 1 lb, b/c I didn't have room)
• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
• 2 teaspoons granulated onion
• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons hot paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 cup tomato paste
• 12 ounces lager beer
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 (15.5-ounce) cans pinto beans, with juice
• 2 (15.5-ounce) cans kidney beans, with juice
• Saltine crackers, for garnish
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar

Directions
     There is probably a better way to do this, but to prepare the peppers, I put them on my small grill pan since I don't have a grill, and I grilled them for approximately 10 minutes (turn them over and allow each side to begin to blister). I didn't have a paper bag to put the peppers into so I just put them into a bowl and covered it to allow them to steam so the skin would separate. After 5 minutes or so, I peeled the skin off and chopped them up. I left the seeds in because we like it hot, and it wasn't really hot at all.


     In large stock pot over high heat, add butter and bacon grease (I just used canola oil). Add bell pepper, jalapeno, chiles and onion and cook until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute a minute longer. Add chuck and brown. Add ground beef and sausage to brown and stir gently, trying not to break up the ground beef too much. Cook until meat is nicely browned and cooked through, about 7 to10 minutes. Add in granulated onions, granulated garlic, chili powder, paprika, cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add in tomato sauce and paste and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in beer and chicken stock. Add beans, lower heat and simmer for 2 hours.
     Garnish with green onions and shredded Cheddar. (I also added sour cream!)


     I did things a little different b/c I wasn't sure if I was able to fit everything into my pot. I browned everything up and put it in my crock pot to let it heat through. I accidentally added a little too much of the booze, so I added it back into my pot to cook off some of the boozy flavor.

     I also didn't add 1 can of kidney beans, 1 cup of tomato sauce, and 1/2 cup chicken broth, simply b/c I didn't have the space in my pot.

Verdict: 4/5

     I thought this was super good. I wish I had had a big enough pot to put the rest of the beans, tomato sauce, and broth in. But, even without it, it was still really tasty. Once the boozy flavor cooked off, it was much better. I really liked the 3 different meats in it, it made for a very layered, rich texture and flavor. It wasn't as spicy as I had hoped, even though I added the seeds of both jalapenos. Next time, I might need to add an extra. For intense flavor, I always add more seasoning than it calls for. Again, I'm a big proponent of seasoning the meat and letting it cook for a while before I add the liquids; so instead of just 1 minute, I cook it closer to 5 minutes to really crisp up the ground meat and let the flavors absorb! And then, I added more seasoning once I added the liquids.
The recipe called for serving the chili over french fries, which sounded outstanding, (another idea was macaroni) but I thought that might be a little much taking into account my previous post. My plan was to split a baked potato and serve the chili over that, but I forgot to get one at the store. Instead, we ate the chili alone, but the flavor stood out on it's own and did great.

Taco Soup

• This recipe is so amazing! I love it with every fiber of my being!

• Hopefully you will think it just as delicious!

• There are many recipes out there like it.... this one... is FABULOUS!

• If you're looking for a quick, easy, scrumptious meal, pick this one!

• I usually make two batches, so I double everything, but to make it easy, I'll list it for one batch, and depending on how much you want to make, you can decide if you want to double it. I'm thinking it serves about 5-6 people maybe... one batch.

Taco Soup 

Ingredients

1. 1 lb ground meat (I usually use ground beef, but we've used ground turkey and ground chicken before.... all are good. Sometimes we'll use a pound of each if we are making a double batch!)
2. 1 onion, diced
3. 1 can each of corn, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans (or any type of beans you want!)
4. 1 large can of crushed tomatoes
5. 1 small can of diced green chiles
6. 1 pkg each of taco seasoning mix, and ranch seasoning mix (And don't go for the knock-off brand on these... I've tasted knock-off brand Taco Soup... not as good... definite difference... it's a pkg of seasoning mix... spring for the $1.29 package.... you'll be thankful!)

• ALSO REMEMBER, if you are making a double batch, be sure to get double packets of the seasoning mix.... I've forgotten to do that... trust me, you don't want to make that mistake... the Ranch does wonders, you don't want to miss out on that!

• Optional, but definitely worth it: Sour Cream, shredded cheese, and tortilla strips.

Directions

• Saute the onions and ground meat together. Drain.

• I like to season my meat before adding to the soup, so I put my meat back into the pan and season it with some of the spices that are in the taco seasoning mix. They are spices you probably already have in your cabinet. I use Paprika, Cumin, Garlic Powder, salt and pepper, maybe a little cayenne if you'd like. Let the meat cook for a few minutes after you season it so it will absorb all the flavors... nothing is worse than flavorless meat! nothing!

• To a large stock pot, add the meat and onions, then open all your cans of vegetables, with juices, and empty them in the pot (I chose to add a can of crushed tomatoes to this recipe, so I didn't use the juice from the canned corn, and substituted the crushed tomatoes instead). Pour both seasoning packets into the pot and stir.

• Bring to a boil, then allow to simmer on low for however long you want! I try to let it simmer for at least an hour!

SERVINGPour soup in a bowl, top with a dollop of sour cream, some shredded cheese, and some tortilla strips! MASTERPIECE!

VERDICT: 4.5/5
Grant said that this would have been better had i added tortilla strips to it, I reminded him that I opted to save a little money by not purchasing the tortilla strips, and he liked my decision... so not bad! point is: it's great! He even opted for seconds!

This soup is soooo delicious! You MUST try it!I've tried a soup like it with olives in it, I'm not a huge olive fan anymore, but if you like olives, you might want to add them to this soup and see if it sparks your taste buds even more!