Chili

Root’s Southwestern World Chili

 

(aka Billy Jack’s Canyon Stew)

This chili recipe combines the flavors of the American Southwest with a touch of South Asia. It is neither overly Hot! or salty. Kids and adults alike love it and it tastes great re-heated. It is thick and hearty and leaves your house smelling great for an autumn afternoon.

 

INGREDIENTS:

2lbs. Pork – ground or chopped into stew piece size

2lbs. Beef – ground or chopped into stew piece size

2 Medium Onions - diced

1 Head of Garlic – finely chopped

12 – 14 ounces of Chopped Green Chilies (canned) – or use fresh chopped peppers if desired

8 ounces Mushrooms - chopped

29 – 30 ounces Tomato Sauce (depending on size of can)

30 ounces Beans – Black, Red, Pinto, mix and match, whatever you like

½ cup Rice

1 packet William’s Chili Seasoning – (2lbs. of meat size)

1 ounce (general) Curry Seasoning

1 teaspoon Black Pepper

Olive Oil

You’re going to want to use a big clad-bottomed lidded pan or a Dutch oven – something in the 8 quart range for this recipe.

 

THE METHOD:

Set your burner to medium high heat and pour in a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Most meat is pretty lean so you’ll need enough to prevent it from burning.

When the oil heats up, add your meat, onions, and garlic. You’re going to be stirring and breaking up the meat for several minutes.

Once you get the meat heated up and the color changes a bit, add all of your spice (the William’s, curry powder, and black pepper) and stir it in for a couple minutes.

NOTE:

I do not call out added salt. Typically canned beans have salt added and so does tomato sauce. In one of my variations, I add the tiny packet of Mahatma Yellow Rice, and it is loaded with salt. Therefore salt is at the cook’s discretion.

Next add the chilies and stir them in.

Then add the mushrooms and stir them in.

NOTE:

If you use fresh chilies, or even elect to substitute a bell pepper or two, get them in earlier.

Add your tomato sauce and beans and stir them in.

Add your rice and stir it in.

Set your burner to low, and cover the pot. Check and stir it occasionally.

After about 15 minutes, you may want to add ½ cup or 1 cup of water. The rice will suck up a lot of liquid, and you may like your chili to be less thick.

Simmer for another 15 minutes. Let it cool for about 10 minutes and serve.

 

NOTES AND VARIATIONS:

Regarding the meat – using chopped meat over ground makes for a fantastic chili. The workload adds to the time but the flavor is excellent and makes for a great chew as well. I recommend a piece of chuck for the beef component and tenderloin or chops for the pork.

Another variation on the meat is to pull out some of the beef and pork and add ground sausage. I like Mendolia’s here in Kansas City. Sausage adds a good amount of salt and fat, but good sausage comes with good spice.

You might question the addition of mushrooms. Mushrooms will add that meaty umami flavor to your chili. Chuck is probably the meatiest tasting meat, and pork has its own flavor of course. A small addition of mushrooms will push that meatiness right up to the top. By finely chopping them, you’ll never know that they are there, if you don’t go for the texture of cooked mushrooms.

If I were to do a vegetarian version of this chili, I would probably triple the mushrooms and double the beans. I would also add more olive oil. Maybe consider slightly mashing some of the beans before you add them to give an extra saucy component to the base of the chili.

I always use canned chilies. In the past, I have used bell peppers, but I think they give too much of a salad effect. Chilies give that deep exotic flavor – chopped and canned take a step out of the process. If you are knowledgeable on chili varieties, they are what makes this dish. You might back down on the curry powder a bit if you move into more dynamic chilies than the basic green ones.

Speaking of Curry powder… My local has a decent one in the spice aisle. Back in the day I used a Garam Masala for this recipe when my former local had a good one. If you have a good G.M., it makes for a great addition over a generic all-purpose curry. You can add a touch of cinnamon to your generic curry powder and get some good results. Even cocoa and a pinch of sugar.

Beans – If you use dry beans in your cooking, you may want to add salt to the chili. I like black beans in my chili for their firmness. But I also like pintos and reds. So I add all of them. Use what you like best.

Garlic – Go big. I use the whole head. This is chili, deal with it. And the garlic really sets the taste on eleven.

Back to Salt – William’s original chili seasoning has none, and curry powders typically are salt free. Every canned good has salt added unless the label says otherwise. And you use a packet of rice instead of plain, it has salt. There is salt everywhere, so keep that in mind before you add any to this recipe.

I like to serve this chili with cheddar cheese. Sometimes I like sour cream. I’m a big fan of Tabasco, so I drip on some of that. And I like good old original Ritz crackers. And I like chili dogs with this chili. And I eat it for breakfast sometimes. And sometimes I make a second batch before the first one runs out.