Sept 24 2013
I was hungry for some chili and had some smoked tomatoes to use in it. I had some Jacobs Cattleman’s beans I wanted to try. I forgot to soak them overnight so after visiting my wife I stopped and bought some canned beans to use. I took her some of the chicken breast and rice I had for supper last night. I, and my wife, was pretty happy we think she gets to come home Friday.
Thursday morning I take her to get her staples out. After lunch her therapist is coming down to see how she does getting in and out of the house with her walker. If she does OK she can come home Friday. After she gets home I will have to take her 2 or 3 times a week for more therapy for a while.
When I got home I got my chili on, put it on simmer and covered with parchment paper while I went to see my wife in the evening. They had given her the OK to get up and walk by herself without a nurse there so she got up for a short walk while I was there.
After the visit I added the beans to my chili and turned up the heat some. I then sat out with a beer to celebrate and relax a little. I added the smoked paprika before serving.
I had some shredded cheddar, sour cream and some dried chives to garnish. I had some buttered saltines with it and a Yuengling black and tan. The chili hit the spot! I thought the chili recipe was worth saving so I wrote it up.
Ingredients
Smoked tomatoes
My Supper
Smokin Don
Good Quick Chili
1 ½ lbs. ground chuck or chuck and sausage mix
1 medium sweet onion chopped
1 Tbs. med. hot chili powder or to taste
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 14 oz. cans Hunts seasoned diced tomato sauce for chili
1 16 oz. can of beef broth
4 to 6 smoked tomatoes (optional)
1 14 oz. can of pinto beans
1 14 oz. can of cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
1 Tbs. smoked paprika (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Water for thinning if needed
Brown meat in a large pot in a little olive oil until most of the pink is gone; drain off grease in a colander and put back in the pot. Add the chopped onion and continue to cook on medium until meat is browned and onions are soft. Add the chili powder and cook several minutes stirring.
Add the two cans of tomato sauce and the beef broth. Bring it to a slow boil and add in the smoked tomatoes if using. Simmer on low for two hours; I put some parchment paper on top to cover.
Add in the beans and bring back to a slow boil. About 15 minutes before serving stir in the smoked paprika if using.
Serve with shredded sharp cheddar and sour cream for on top. I like buttered saltines to have with mine.
Note: I had some smoked tomatoes I had tried to dry for 6 hours on smoke. They were cut too large so didn’t dry well. They were seasoned with olive oil, salt, and Italian blend seasoning. I removed the skin and had a cup or so of tomatoes. I thought they really gave the chili an intense tomato taste. For chili some smoked for a couple of hours should work. You can add as much heat as you want.
