Khetty's Family Chili
Everybody seems to have a different opinion on what "real chili" is. However, in my opinion, chili should just be about what you like to taste - and I like my grandma's chili better than anything I ever tasted from Texas. So today, I made it! Here's her recipe. Credits to my mom, too, for tweaking it and passing it down and taste-testing my batch to be sure I had it "just right" . All seasoning measurements are... to taste! We don't need no stinkin' measuring cups!
2 lbs 85% lean (93% is okay but less flavor!) ground beef
2 lg cans whole tomatoes
1 lg sweet onion
beef base (such as Better Than Bouillion or Minor's)
cooking oil
salt
black pepper
chili powder (homemade or store-bought)
red chili flakes or cayenne or other heat source
garlic
1) Dice onion & sweat in cooking oil over low heat in bottom of big pot. Set aside to drain.
2) Crumble ground beef into big pot, add salt and black pepper and garlic* to taste, and also enough chili powder to make a slight but noticeable color change in the meat, and let brown. Re-add the onions to the pot. Do not cook beef completely through. Drain excess grease from the pot, but do not drain the beef directly.
*If your chili powder has a lot of garlic already, maybe skip this - I had to go back and add extra garlic because the brand I used was really stingy with it.
*Use only a little salt on the beef, as the beef base will already have a LOT of salt in it.
3) Drain both cans of tomatoes into the pot. Dice the tomatoes themselves, and add them to the pot. Stir it all up. If you want more broth, add water 1 cup at a time.
4) Add more chili powder until it looks red enough to be good chili. Or to taste. Taste as you go for best results!
5) Add 1 tbsp beef base, then an additional 1-2 tsp at a time until the desired richness and darkness is reached in the broth. I use 2 "southern tablespoons" per batch (~3 tbsp). Taste as you go, it's easy to overdo it.
6) Add red chili flakes or cayenne or other heat of choice to taste.
7) Cover & let simmer at least 20 mins, longer is better. If you want to add cooked/canned beans, add them just ~20 mins before removing the chili from heat or they will get too mushy. For lower-carb, quarter longways then halve about 10 baby carrots in lieu of beans, and add them as early as you want - just don't add too many or it will turn into veggie soup. For thicker broth, leave the cover off until the broth reduces to desired thickness.
Khetty's Serving Suggestion - Chili Pie/Frito Pie:
Serve in a shallow bowl & top with finely shredded mild or medium cheddar, then lightly crumbled Fritos or other crispy corn chips, then a spoonful of lowfat sour cream, then a sprinkling of scallions/chives.