Okay, to be perfectly honest, my chili hasn’t won any awards but I like the name and I’m keeping it. It is an excellent chili though that actually gets better after a few days in the fridge. Make this ahead of Super Bowl Sunday and you won’t have to miss any of the game messing around in the kitchen.
This recipe calls for Carroll Shelby’s chili kit. It used to come in a brown paper bag but now it comes in a box. You should be able to get it at your local supermarket. Unlike most store bought chili kits Carroll Shelby’s includes a packet of Masa Flour which gives chili a wonderful silky texture.
Oh and this happens to be a meatless chili – for no good reason other than that’s how it evolved over the years – so be sure to invite your vegan friends on game day.
What You’ll Need
4 – 15 ounce cans of dark red kidney beans
1 – 15 ounce can of golden corn (preferably no-salt-added)
1 – 16 ounce can of Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer
1 store bought chili kit (preferably Carroll Shelby’s)
1 cup of TVP – reconstituted with water
1 large onion – chopped
1 large green pepper – chopped
2 cloves of garlic – diced
1 – 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon of creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon of vegetable (or corn) oil
2 cups of water
Tortilla Chips (optional)
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
What to Do
Drain the kidney beans into a colander and rinse with cold water.
Reconstitute the TVP with water according to the package instructions and let stand for at least 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the vegetable oil to a large pot and scrape in the chopped onion, pepper, and garlic. Put a medium heat under the pot and sweat the veg in the oil for about 4 minutes stirring frequently.
Add the beans to the pot. Pour in the can of crushed tomatoes and the beer. Mixy, mixy, mixy, mixy.
Unpack the chili kit. There should be a large bag of chili mix and 3 smaller bags, one with the masa flour, one with salt and one with cayenne pepper.
Now add in the big bag of Carroll Shelby’s chili mix, the peanut butter, the salt and cayenne pepper to taste (remember that cayenne adds heat) and the 2 cups of water. Mix well again.
Bring the chili to a ploppy boil then reduce the heat to very low. Simmer on lowest heat (uncovered) for at least an hour stirring frequently.
After one hour add the can of corn and the package of masa flour and mix well. Continue simmering for another 10 minutes then turn off the heat and let the chili cool to room temperature.
Serve warm or refrigerate for up to a week. Top with shredded cheese, raw chopped red onion and warmed tortilla chips.
Serves a small army. My cost approx. $ 11.00 total – about $ 1.85 per serving
