Chili for a Crowd

We had an Olympics Party on Friday... and made it a Martini party as well, and served Chili. How is that for a mixed up party? Ha! We had about 20 people over... so needless to say, the pot of chili needed to be large! I heard about this recipe from my SIL, and then found it online. It's a great recipe... that I adapted a bit.

2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb yellow onions, coarsely chopped

1 lb sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings

4 lbs beef chuck, ground

1 can tomato paste - (12 oz)

1 1/2 Tbs minced garlic

1/3 cup ground cumin

1/2 cup chili powder

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

2 Tbs dried basil

2 Tbs dried oregano

1 1/2 Tbs salt, or to taste

1 1/2 Tbs freshly-ground black pepper

3 cans Italian plum tomatoes - (28 oz ea), drained

1/4 cup dry red wine

2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 cans dark-red kidney beans - (16 oz ea), drained

2 cans pitted black olives - (5 1/2 oz ea), drained

Heat the olive oil in a very large pot. Add the onions and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 15 minutes. Add the sausage meat and ground chuck; cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the meats are well browned. Spoon off any excess fat and discard.

Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, cumin, chili powder, mustard, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes, wine, lemon juice, dill, parsley and kidney beans. Stir well and simmer, uncovered, for another 15 minutes.

Taste and adjust seasonings. Add olives; simmer for 5 minutes more to heat through. Serve immediately.

This recipe yields 20 servings.

Per serving: 260 calories, 19g carbohydrate, 26g protein, 10g fat, 55mg cholesterol.

Comments: When choosing chopped meat for chili, you'll find that beef chuck adds great flavor. And you never can have too many spices. Look for dark-red kidney beans. Lemon juice brightens all the tastes!

ADAPTATIONS

 

Okay, I'm not a "bean" fan so I omit 1 can of beans and replace it with 1.5 packages (I love lots of mushrooms) of chopped mushrooms. These should be cooked seperately and then drained, or they will add too much moisture to the pot.

I also double the garlic and dill and serve it with sour cream, grated cheddar, chopped gr. onions and the black olives on the side to add on top.

I didn't take a pic unfortunately.... but here is a similar photo.

ENJOY!