Red Pot Meals- Chili!
First off, thanks for the well-wishes and support when it comes to living aboard. We will be back and forth for the next month as we close out the land base and try to get the mast on the boat so we can live at a mooring (where the breeze is better!). But I can’t tell you how amazing it was to see the ladies loving the boat. The most gratifying thing EVER.
I’m concerned that the big red pot won’t fit in the boat’s oven, as I’ve recently become a fan of slow-cooking in the Dutch oven by putting it inside the oven (my version of a crock pot). Perhaps it will work out, and perhaps the pressure cooker will give me a similar effect in a fraction of the time. We’ll see, eh? Yesterday we cooked this chili all day long and it was, hands down, the best we’ve ever made. Try it-
Chili in the Red Pot
2 tbs oil
2 medium onions, chopped fine
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup chili powder
1 tbs ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 pkg. ground turkey (or beef, i suppose!)
2 cans beans- dark red kidneys, pintos, whatever you please
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato puree
salt
condiments: scallions, cheese, etc.
1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, veggies are softened and beginning to brown- 10 mins. Increase heat and add meat. Cook until no longer pink and beginning to brown.
2.Add everything else and bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer for 1 hour. Remove lid and simmer for 1 hour longer. Alternatively, put the whole pot in the oven at 225 degrees for 6 hours or so. You won’t regret it.
We eat ours alone with sour cream, or in true Southern form- ladled over a hot dog, in a bun, in a bowl with onions and mustard on top. My grandmother would insist on putting oyster crackers over the whole thing. A true Scrambled Dog- famously served at the small-town pharmacy in Columbus, GA where she took her children and grandchildren to dine at the lunch counter.
