I love chili: all types. My wonderful husband is pretty much all meat and potatoes, so those delicious aromatic veggies like onions, celery, peppers, and tomatoes are just not in his culinary wheelhouse. So I have free rein when I make chili to play around with it.
Today I am making an Irish inspired chili that features Guinness and Irish Cheddar.
Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 ½ pounds of Ground Meat. I use 85% lean. (You can substitute ground lamb if you like)
1 pound of Smoked Sausage
1 large of each Green Pepper Red Pepper, Yellow Pepper, and Orange Pepper
1 large Yellow Onion
3 stalks of Celery
1 bottle Guinness – Draught or Stout is fine
1 large can of Crushed Tomatoes
1 large can of Diced Tomatoes
3 teaspoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons Kosher Salt
2 teaspoons Black Pepper
3-4 teaspoons Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
2 teaspoons Olive Oil
1 can Red Kidney Beans (optional)
8 ounces shredded Irish Cheddar Cheese
1 large Leek
2 tablespoons of Vegetable or Canola Oil
DIRECTIONS
Place olive oil in a medium pot and brown the ground meat over medium heat, adding garlic and half the salt and pepper and chili powder.
Dice the smoked sausage and brown in same skillet.
Remove all meat and set aside.
Dice the peppers, onions, and celery to the pot and saute until soft.
Add in the bottle of Guinness and scape the bottom of the pan to get all those little bits of flavor mixed in.
Cook over medium-low heat for approximately 20 minutes until the Guinness reduces by half.
Add in the tomatoes and beans and cook for 5-10 minutes.
Add in the meat and stir.
Add all remaining spices to taste.
Cook for at least 1 hour but up to 6 on very low.
Rinse and cut up the leak – both white and green parts.
In a small skillet, heat vegetable oil until shimmering and quickly fry the leek pieces for about 30 seconds until slightly brown and crispy. Be careful because they will make the oil splatter because of their water content.
Serve the chili topped with shredded cheese and the crispy leeks. Sour Cream makes a nice addition to the warm chili.
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Katie Gagne
*Katie is an English teacher at Trinity High School by day and in her “spare” time runs her own at-home baking business, Sassy’s Sweets and Oh So Much More, specializing in gourmet cakes, cookies, cupcakes, and pastries. She can be reached at [email protected] or (440) 773-4459
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