Variable Chili

The Story 

Everyone has a different idea of what constitutes a good bowl of chili, as witnessed by the large number of chili cook-offs and a huge range of ingredients in recipes for this basic dish. Chili in Texas is different than chili in Arkansas, which is different yet from chili in Ohio. So, it is with trepidation that I share with you the recipe for what constitutes a good bowl of chili in my household.

My Grandma Michalski made chili and my mother made chili, and the basics of my recipe come from them. When I started cooking for myself, I simply started from their examples and added the ingredients that I had on hand and took it from there. The one thing it's important to note is that there are endless opportunities to make alterations to this recipe, which is the reason for me naming it as I have in this posting. In fact, I'm going to start by providing you with the ingredients of the most recent pot of chili I made, which are likely different than the ingredients from the pot I made before that. And so on.

What You'll Need (more or less)

• 4 16-oz cans of tomatoes, 2 diced and 2 stewed
• 3 16-oz cans of beans (kidney, black, chili, pinto...I usually use a combination)
• one 64-oz can or bottle of tomato juice (V-8 works in a pinch)
• mushrooms, canned or fresh and sliced
• one whole onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• jalapenos, diced
• 5 bay leaves
• cumin
• chili powder
• habanero sauce, to taste

Variations

As I mentioned earlier, there's not really an"official" list of ingredients for this recipe. The most common variations in my household include the following:

• I throw in whatever vegetables I have on hand--chopped squash, any type of pepper, even kale or spinach--especially those nearing the end of their usable life.
• At times I'll add a bit of honey or Mexican spiced chocolate, to balance a batch that is particularly hot
• It's a no-brainer to add ground beef, chicken, or any other protein here if I'm looking for a heartier meal. 
• Because it cooks a long time, sometimes I throw in dry beans rather than canned--or even stew my own tomatoes when they are available (not so often in Humboldt County).
• Spices are always an easy way to play around with a dish, so I try new spices, hot sauces, chopped garlic, and the like, depending on what I have on hand.

After you make your first pot, you'll likely develop some variations that suit you and your family and/or take advantage of locally available products.  

Preparation
One reason this dish is ubiquitous in our household is how easy it is to make. Every couple weeks I get out the crock pot and throw in all the ingredients. (Before I had a crock pot, I used the same process on the stove top; it required a bit more attention, but I found that even slightly burning the chili on the bottom wasn't problematic--but just added a smoky flavor.) I cook it covered on high until it bubbles and stews for a couple hours, and then I reduce the heat to low and crack the lid to let steam out and cook it for the remainder of the day. At the end of the first day I let it cool and store it in the refrigerator for the night. The next morning I return the crock to its heater and let it cook again on low throughout the day--with the lid cracked to allow the liquid to boil off a bit. While it takes longer to do this two-day cooking process, it isn't time consuming to let the pot run on its own, and it's really the secret to decent chili: the more times you heat and cool it, the better it seems to get.

Serving

I often serve the chili with chopped raw onions and/or shredded cheese scattered on the top, along with crackers or tortilla chips. Most often, Eddie and I will have this for one main meal and then I divide it into individual-serving containers for lunches or dinners later in the week--or even into the next. It's easy to reheat in the microwave or on the stove top, and I love knowing that I have some chili waiting for me after a long day or when the rain and wind are howling and I don't want to cook.