Super Bowl Chili

When I lived in San Francisco, I ate very healthy and worked out every day. It was pretty easy to do because the produce is gorgeous and the temperate weather makes running a year-round activity. I had two cheat days (I was never on a diet but these two days were mega pigout eat til I pop days)–Thanksgiving and Super Bowl Sunday. Here in Chicago, every Sunday during football season has been a cheat day. I usually only make this chili once a year but made it at least twice this year.

I have tried a few other recipes but have ultimately settled on this recipe from Epicurious (with many adjustments, of course).

SUPER BOWL CHILI

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onions & shallots
• 8 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 pounds ground turkey
• 1 pound ground beef
• 9 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree
• 1 14 1/2-ounce can low-salt chicken broth
• 1 12-ounce bottle dark beer (Newcastle or some stout ale)
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 1 15- to 16-ounce can prepared chili beans
• 1 small can fire roasted green chili
• 1 square dark chocolate (I use a cinnamon & ancho chili variety from Trader Joe’s)
• 1 dash of cinnamon (if your chocolate doesn’t already have cinnamon in it)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic. Sauté until onions are translucent.
2. Add meat and sauté until brown, breaking up meat with back of spoon.
3. Add chili powder and cumin. Stir 2 minutes.
4. Mix in crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, beer and tomato paste.
5. Simmer until thickened to desired consistency, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, about 1 hour 15 minutes (or throw in crockpot for a few hours).
6. Mix in beans. Simmer 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

NOTES

• I like to prepare this at least a day ahead so that the flavors have some time to set. A few hours before I am ready to serve, I pull it out of the fridge and put everything in a crockpot to keep the chili warm while we’re watching the game.
• Serve with sour cream, shredded cheddar, corn bread, and/or tortilla chips
• Also good for some chili-cheese dip (just add Velveeta…which we have both agreed on the principle that we can only buy one stick per year)
• A friend brought over mac n cheese for the super bowl and we mixed it together for some chili mac n cheese
• Last night, we boiled some whole wheat elbow macaroni for some chili mac (not much cheese)
• Sometimes, I like my chili Hawaiian style (over rice)…mmm Zippy’s…hmmm I should try to make their version next time

In anticipation of our evening gorge-fest, we had a nice salad for lunch. I made celery root salad for the first time and must say I quite liked it: great in salads. Oh, and yesterday, I chopped up the last bit (the nub that I was afraid to mandoline for fear of losing a piece of my hand) and threw it into the roast chicken salad for some crunch.

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