CHILI

I may not be the biggest football fan, but I do love any excuse to make chili, eat cornbread and drink a nice cold beer (or two). I've spent past Superbowls with a friend's family, and her dad's chili was superb. I had him pass along the recipe, but shied away when I stumbled onto this one (no hard feelings Vince). It sounded spicier, heartier (more veggies - yay!) and slightly less tomatoe-y. Pair it with some cast iron cornbread and you have yourself a winning winter meal.

CHILI // serves 8-10

Adapted from The Kitchn

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs ground beef*
1 large onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 medium sized carrot, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp ground chipotle powder
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp sea salt
1 cup amber or brown ale (I used guinness)
3 cups broth (vegetable, beef or chicken)
1-28oz can diced tomatoes, strained
1-16oz can black beans, rinsed and strained
1-16oz can kidney beans, rinsed and strained
to serve: shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, cilantro (optional)

*Note: If making a vegetarian chili, replace the ground beef with sweet potatoes or butternut squash, add along with the beans (see below), reduce the broth and cooking time by half.

What to do:

In a large dutch oven or soup pot, warm a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and allow to brown for several minutes. Break up the meat as it browns, or leave it as larger pieces if you prefer. Once browned, transfer to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pot, and still on medium heat, use the beef oil to cook the onions. After about 5 minutes, add the other vegetables and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add the garlic to the pot and stir to combine. Its normal for a dark sticky crust to start forming on the bottom on the pan - don't worry.

Add the spices and salt to the vegetables and stir until evenly coated and fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Pour the beer into the hot pot and scrape up the brown crust on the bottom. Continue stirring until half, or all of the beer has evaporated (5-7 minutes).

Transfer the meat and broth into the pot. Bring to a simmer, and let cook, uncovered for 50-60 minutes. Stir occasionally to avoid a thick film forming on top. The mixture will look very soupy. Don't panic.

After about an hour, add the tomatoes and beans to the pot. Simmer for another 10 minutes.

Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot, and with any additional garnishes if you like.

CORNBREAD

I've been on the hunt for the perfect cornbread recipe for quite some time now. No matter which recipe I followed, I found that the result was always a little dry, and not quite the texture and flavour I was hoping for. Until now.

It got cold this week, so we decided that chili would be the perfect weeknight dinner. Chili naturally means cornbread, and I was determined to find a new recipe to try. I got the idea to make it in a cast iron pan from Sprouted Kitchen and I am beyond ecstatic with the results.

CORNBREAD // 10" cast iron pan or 8x8 pan

Preheat oven to 350.

Ingredients:

1 cup white flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup 
3 tbsp melted butter or neutral oil
1 cup (homemade) buttermilk*
1 egg

* I don't typically have buttermilk on hand. To make it, simply place 1 tbsp white vinegar in a measuring cup and fill to the 1 cup line with milk (I used soy). Let sit for a few minutes before using.

What to do:

Place the cast iron pan in the oven as it preheats to allow the pan to warm up.

In the meantime, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the honey.

Place the butter in a small bowl, and melt it in the microwave. Remove and add in the egg and milk and whisk well.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine.

Remove the pan from the oven, roll a small amount of butter throughout the pan, and then transfer the mixture.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.