chilly for chili {life}
Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at 12:01PM 
We tend to be a white chili family around here. You know, shredded chicken or ground turkey and some kind of white bean like cannelini or great northerns. Mostly because, let's face it, it's what I prefer and I'm the one who's generally doing the cooking. However. I like to think of myself as an accommodating person, and if requests are made, well. Sometimes I listen.
We're at a funny and interesting stage at our house. I call it Teenage Boy. Neel and I are precariously trying to balance our own portion control with Callum's need to eat constantly. I really am trying to honor the fact that he needs fuel for this growing machine and offer up healthy but satisfying and filling (especially filling) choices. Enter Mad Hungry. Have you seen this book? Neel loves the title because he says he remembers being hungry just like that when he was a boy. So hungry that you could cry from it. So hungry that you actually got mad about it.
So we made some hearty chili, and now I might make tomato based chili more.
Chili adapted from Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys
3 smoked serrano chiles
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 pounds stew meat, cubed
1 tablespoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons cumin
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
1 pinch of brown sugar, if desired
1 28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
12 oz. beer
2 15 oz cans beans (pinto, kidney, black, etc.) with liquid
Using a dry skillet and high heat, lightly toast the chilies for a few minutes. Once roasted, remove from pan and slice the chilies to remove and discard the stem and seeds. Soak the chilies in boiling water for five minutes to soften and then pureé in a food processor with enough liquid to form a thick paste.
In a deep pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat and sauté onion and garlic until translucent. Increase the heat to high, add the beef and roughly two teaspoons of the salt and brown.
Once beef has browned, add cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, bay leaf, chili paste and remaining salt. Stir to combine, adding brown sugar to taste. Combine tomatoes and beer with beef mixture and simmer for 30 minutes. Add beans and cook an additional 20 minutes. You may need to add more water if the chili becomes too thick.
Serve with diced avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream and lime wedges.
Reader Comments (9)
oooh, had never heard of white chili before! i do love a good bowl of the hot stuff... we {boyfriend} make it in batches & freeze for lazy dinners... lovely photos as always!!!
i remember my brothers being able to eat 7 bowls of cereal. where did they put it? well, they ran around and wore it off - and grew, too. enjoy your hungry boy.
your chili looks yummy! (and you are a food photographer!) xo
i have never once made my own chili. now i am blushing because i actually eat chili once in awhile which means it come from a can. we can add lasagna to that list too (though since going gluten-free marie callendars and i have parted ways - no real loss there). almost everything that come pre-made has wheat in it so this recipe is perfect because i am having to learn to make certain things that i cheated and bought pre-made. not to mention a can GF turkey chili costs about $18.00 (i joke but anything GF is crazy expensive!). so thank you! my "starving" teen will be happy to have some chili-turkey hotdogs back on the menu soon and after making your enchilada recipe i am pretty sure he will super excited to know this recipe comes from you.
and seriously can they eat or what?! sometimes (like everyday) i have this internal battle with myself to not comment on the copious amounts of food he consumes. i don't quite remember that part growing up but then i am not a boy ;)
Looks yummy! It's a little nippy out and this chili recipe would have been perfect for tonight. I make turkey chili, but I use a packet for the spices. I know. I really should heed your advice and recipe, and make my own. Your version is probably so much healthier too. Who knows what they put in those packets.
I chuckled at the title of that book, Mad Hungry. My son seems to be going through a growth spurt because he is constantly complaining, "I'm starving!" And a mere few minutes after eating a meal, and we haven't even entered the teens years! Thanks for the yummy recipe and beautiful shots, L!
Oh Honey!!! Look at how beautiful you make food look!
Hungry boys.... My brother used to eat a salad bowl of pasta with cheese when he got home from school.... He grew up and up xx
I love chili. But meatless, typically, and beans only. Jeff loves meat chili and hates beans, to the point where he will pick every last bean out of his. So long story short we don't make chili in the house because we'd have to make two different kinds. I like any excuse to put cheese on things, personally. But he does make an awesome tortilla soup which is similar, and has all the toppings like avocado and cheese and tortilla strips. Okay, now I'm hungry. That happens a lot with your blog. xo
I can imagine what a challenge keeping a teenage boy full would be! Guys need proper blokes food to keep them full! I've been making healthier meals around here which has been good and feel better for it. We never have chili. Although a few weeks ago my daughter made it in food tech class at school and loved it.
Mmm Mmm I am always down for some chili. You know, I remember being a teenage girl and also being incredibly hungry. And then I grew to be almost as tall as my dad and we figured out where all that food went :)
Mmmm love chilli, but not had it for a while. I guess it's time to get out the ingredients and give it a whirl, thanks for sharing.
I feel you and your experience of teenage kids. Sadly mine always seem to be hungry for junk food, and I wonder if it is a boy thing? I don't get it, esp. as we eat quite healthily at home. There's no stopping an 18 year old from visiting the local drive through. It has to be a case of what I can't see can't hurt me!!
xx