Skillet Chili Con Carne

Chili Con Carne is Spanish meaning chili with meat. 

On Sunday, I wondered what to do with two fresh jalapeño peppers and 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef? So I decided to make a quick one-skillet summer meal, with the thought of having leftovers to eat during the week. It was delicious!

Nothing tastes better than fresh, unprocessed, food spiced just right.

The recipe is also very forgiving. Use what you have in your kitchen. You can brown either ground beef, or cubes of lean, solid beef. You can use either a can of whole tomatoes or petite diced tomatoes plus a can of crushed tomatoes [or roasted, puréed, fresh tomatoes; or diced fresh tomatoes] tossed into the skillet to cook after browning your meat, onions and jalapeño peppers. If you have a bell pepper of any color and celery, add them to the skillet. If you don't have either, skip it. 

Here is my recipe:

Skillet Chili Con Carne

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (or cubes of lean beef)

1 large onion, diced
2 jalapeño peppers, sliced
1 bell pepper, diced (I used red.)
2 stalks celery, sliced
Seasoning to taste -- I added:
1 tablespoon dried garlic (or fresh garlic)
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon dried cilantro (or fresh cilantro if you have it)
a shake of dried celery
1 teaspoon oregano
a tiny sprinkle of cumin (about 1/2 teaspoon -- I don't like to add a lot. It's a strong spice.)
1 bay leaf
2 large any flavor bouillon cubes -- If you don't have bouillon, add a teaspoon of salt. (Usually, bouillon is salty.)
a dash of Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoons cider vinegar
a sprinkle fresh black pepper

1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes (or diced tomatoes work)
1 15-ounce can of red or pink kidney beans

Directions:

1. Toss the ground beef (or beef cubes) into a 12'' skillet on a stovetop over medium heat. If using ground beef, break it up into pieces.
2. As the beef is browning, add the diced onions, jalapeño peppers, bell pepper and celery. Grill them a bit. (If using fresh garlic, dice and toss it into the pan late, so it doesn't burn.) Stir occasionally to brown evenly. I used lean ground beef, so after grilling to well done, my meat was dry. No draining was necessary. But pour out the fat, if necessary.
3. Next add the cans of crushed and whole tomatoes, kidney beans, and seasonings to the skillet.
4. Simmer on low medium heat for 30 - 40 minutes.

Serve the chili with a mixed green salad and rice or al dante spaghetti. {Sometimes I make a pan of cornbread. To the basic recipe I chop 2 jalapeño peppers, a small onion, and 3 -4  garlic cloves, plus add a cup of whole corn kernels. Toss the tasty extra ingredients into the cornbread batter.}

Since I had fresh corn-on-the cob that was my starch. Here's a no-fuss way to cook it:

1. Microwave the corn-on-the-cob inside its husk for 4 1/2 minutes. It will turn out tender and perfect!
2) After cooking, wait a beat to let the ear of corn cool slightly, before removing the husk and silk to eat. It slides right off.

A simple and balanced summer dinner. The leftover chili will taste amazing too. Bon appétit!



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