Free as in Time

I whipped up a batch of really simple chilli, and felt like sharing…

There are only two things about this recipe which are critical, and they come right up front. The first is the ratio of tomatoes to kidney beans. One 796 mL (28 fl oz) can of tomatoes to one 540 mL (19 fl oz) can of kidney beans. Yes, I use canned tomatoes. Yes I live in Canada through the winter. Did I mention that is recipe is also for super-cheap chilli? (More super-cheap recipes can be found here.)

The second important factor is your choice of apron. Or, more to the point, that you wear one at all. Things can get messy, especially when crushing up the tomatoes. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Grab a pot, the bigger the better, and preferably one with a flat bottom. I have two that work well, and often make a double batch and freeze chilli for weeks worth of lunches.

Open the can(s) of tomatoes, and just dump ‘em in. I could tell you to drain them, but I never do. Instead, I simmer them until I’m satisfied with the amount of liquid in the pot. To that end, simmer, lid off.

As they’re simmering, I occasionally give them a good chopping up using a tool I have which resembles a wooden spoon, with a flat front edge. Really, it’s like a long handled wooden spade. Very good for cutting/chopping/squishing the tomatoes down into human sized bites while they simmer away.

While the tomatoes are doing their thing, get some ground beef frying away. The quantity is up to you: the meatier you like your chilli, the more you cook. You can use super-lean or lean for this, but, again, the idea here is to keep the cost down, so I generally use regular and drain it a few times while it’s cooking, before adding it to the tomatoes et al.

When you’ve got your tomatoes into what you figure is an acceptably smallish and mushy state, add your kidney beans. You’re going to want to drain them and rinse them in a colander. Then, just dump ‘em into your pot. At this point, my beef is also generally ready to go, so it goes into the pot as well. Give the whole thing a good stir. Like the spaghetti scene in The Godfather.

Your tomatoes, beans, and beef can sit there, stewing away, covered, for quite a while. This gives you plenty of time to chop up some other veggies to throw in there.

The most critical of these is an onion. A rather large one. If you don’t like onion, there is no hope for either you or your chilli. So, chop one up, and just throw it all in there. If you can still read the rest of this clearly, you need more onion. Once you’ve got a good cry on, add some green pepper, green onion, or even corn. I’ve seen carrots come out of the fridge and wind up in the pot at this point.

This is a good time to get some other things done around the kitchen. I generally do some dishes and clean the place up. I also sock away some of the leftover raw ground beef in the freezer, having bought a family-sized package.

When the mood strikes, add some spices. The main one I add is this “No Name” brand “Chili Powder”. It contains chilli pepper, cumin, coriander, salt, oregano, dehydrated garlic, and cloves. Really takes the work out of spicing things up. Add some, stir, sniff, repeat. Some salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and extra oregano wouldn’t go amiss. I’ve been known to add some cinnamon.

That’s it. You’re done. Simmer until you’re super-hungry, and eat. Best served with fresh, crusty bread.

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