Chef Geoff's Chili

Copyright © 2005 Geoffrey Alan Washburn

Using the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 License

• 2 medium or 1 large onion
  (I have used red, sweet, white, and vidalia onions; all work well)
• 2 celery hearts
  (I really like the way the celery comes out, and it provides a nice way to add bulk, so I use a lot. More or less can be used as desired.)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  (Joy of Cooking recommends bacon drippings, which sounds like it would taste really good, but I generally do not have drippings and this tends to be healthier)
• 2 tablespoons green pepper Tabasco sauce
  (optional, though I still recommend it because it gives it a nice zing without being overpowering)
• 1 - 2 pounds lean ground beef
  (I have tried substituting ground turkey on occasion, but it tends to turn out a little dry (room for further experimentation). So instead I try to use 93% or leaner beef.)
• 2 cans or 3.5 cups diced peeled tomatoes (with juice)
  (I tend to buy a can containing garlic rather than adding garlic separately)
• 1 teaspoon finely diced garlic
  (For if you don't buy a can of tomatoes with garlic)
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
  (can substitute regular salt if desired)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
  (optional)
• 1 - 2 cans or 10 - 20 tablespoons tomato paste
  (can be optional, but I find that it helps produce a much thicker chili)
• 1 - 2 tablespoons chili powder
  (more or less can be used to taste, but 2 tablespoons seems to provide good flavor without being too overpowering for the amount I make)
• 1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper power
  (optional, adds a little extra kick)
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bunch of scallions
• 1 - 2 cans of red kidney beans
  (add more or less depending on how you want to bulk things and how much you like kidney beans)
• 1 bell pepper

1. Dice the onions, keeping some medium and large sized chunks. Place into a large pot.
2. Clean the celery and cut it into eighth to quarter inch cross-wise slices. Add to the pot.
3. Add the olive oil to the pot with the onions and celery and begin sauting on medium to high heat. Stir occasionally.
4. After the onions and celery have been sauted for a few minutes, add the meat and the green pepper Tabasco sauce, and continue to saute until the meat is lightly browned.
5. Add the celery salt, sugar, bay leaves, and dry red wine. Stir.
6. Stir in the tomato paste.
7. Add the paprika, black pepper, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. Stir.
8. Continue to stir for a minute or two and the cover the pot, set the burner to low heat. Cook for at least an hour, two hours or longer if time allows.
9. An hour before you stop cooking, stir in the kidney beans.
10. A few minutes before you stop cooking, dice the bell pepper into small to medium chunks and stir into the pot.
11. When finished cooking stir in chopped scallions to taste.
12. Allow a few minutes for cooling before serving.