Kosher 2nd Generation Chilli

Heirloom recipes are wonderful things. I want to send a big Thanks out to Margi, my wonderful Mother-in-Law, for this incredibly tasty Chilli. I've made a few modifications (mostly substituting my beloved chick peas for red beans and flavored tomatoes for plain ones) but this is her recipe. It's not cheap. I usually spend around $60 getting all the ingredients. However, I end up with a massive vat of chilli (around 5 gallons) which will feed me and my husband for a week...or a large group of our friends for a night. If you make your own modifications, please leave in the two kinds of meat. They add variation in the texture, which adds a wonderful mouth-feel to the richness of the chilli. (Unless you are a vegeterian, in which case you are excused.) I also urge you to cut fresh corn off the raw cob rather than use canned (or *shudder* frozen). Fresh corn stays amazingly crisp even after days in the fridge.

• 2 pound roast, defatted and cut into cubes
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
• 2 yellow bell peppers, chopped
• 2 large yellow onions, chopped
• 2 jalepeno peppers, seeded and chopped
• 6 uncooked ears of corn, cut from cob (honest. Unlike canned, this will stay crisp)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 four oz can diced green chilli's
• 2 28 oz cans chopped tomatoes with juice ("Italian" seasoned or plain)
• 2 fifteen oz cans white kidney beans/great northern beans (with juice)
• 2 fifteen oz cans chick peas/garbanzo beans (with juice)
• 1 cup strong coffee
• 1 twelve oz bottle beer
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tbsp paprika or chilli powder
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 2 tbsp oregano
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp marjoram
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp black pepper

Brown the ground beef, drain off the grease, and set it aside. Brown the cubed meat (I just put it in my George Forman grill while browning the hamburger), drain off the grease, and set aside.

In a deep kettle, add olive oil and onions. Saute until translucent. Add hamburger, steak, brown sugar, garlic, coffee, chilies, jalapenos, and all spices. Mix very well, then simmer for about 10 minutes. It should smell very strong.

Add all remaining ingredients. Stir until thoroughly mixed, then bring to a boil.

Once boiling, turn heat to low and simmer for at least 2 hours - the longer the better. Stir every half an hour. You can leave it simmering on low all night and enjoy it for breakfast in the morning, or refridgerate it before bed.

Serve with chopped onions, grated soy cheese, and either cornbread or crusty French bread.

Variations:

• For more traditional chilli, substitute red kidney beans for the chick peas.
• For hotter chilli, double the chilli powder.
• For economical purposes, cut meats in half and double beans.
• For vegetarians, eliminate the meats and substitute 3 pounds of veggie ground meat substitute. Add the veggie ground round when adding the canned tomatoes.

Chilli is good in the fridge for up to 5 days. To preserve, refridgerate overnight, then ladle single bowl sized servings into freezer safe plastic bags and freeze. Chilli stays good in freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, empty the solid block of chilli into a microwave safe bowl, add 1 tbsp water, and microwave for 4 to 5 minutes. Stir well, let sit for 1 - 2 minutes, and enjoy.