Since it is still reasonably cold, although the roads are turning to slush pits similar to mini ponds, I thought I would toss in one more awesome winter warmer recipe, this one featuring our Seasonal Malty Red Ale just released: The Double Rainbow. I wanted to make this recipe nice and simple and hand crafted it using ingredients from my kitchen last year, on a day where going to the store seemed like a major task. Please note that ingredient measurements are never exact, so taste test often, even if your housemate accuses you of eating all the Chili before it is finished… Here it goes:
Ingredients:
1 lb lean hamburger meat
1 white onion, or 2 shallots
2 tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, or more
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 cups tomato juice, or 1 can tomato paste mixed with 1 cup water
2 cans kidney beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 Red pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, diced, or less depending on heat preferencesSeasonings:
4-6 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tsp. red pepper flakes
⅔ cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. Worcestershire
1 bay leaf (take out at end of cooking)
1 tbs salt (kosher)
1 tbs pepper
½ c- 1 cup double rainbow beer, I usually add about 1 -2 hours into slow cooking
6 big dashes hot sauce
2tbs. dry mustard, or liquid if you don’t have dry
Process:
Brown the hamburger and saute with finely chopped onion,garlic cloves, red pepper, and jalapeno in E.V.O.O until meat cooked and onions and vegetables tender ( you can use shallot also if you prefer smaller chunks of onion). Put those ingredients in slow cooker or Dutch Oven on low, plan on giving it 4 hours plus to cook, allowing the ingredients to really bind together and marry… Add beans, tomatoes, tomato juice and all seasonings except beer ( or you can add ⅓ c beer now and ⅓ cup later). Add more tomato juice if you want a sightly thinner consistency, or less if you like thicker Chili. After all spices added, taste for flavor… I keep adding Chili powder, brown sugar, hot sauce and spices until I have that perfect mix of sweet and spicy, so delicious! If you want extra garlic and the garlic cloves weren’t enough, add garlic powder or salt to mixture. “Taste testing” is key here- I really want to stress that point, mostly because it is more fun if you do. During last hour of cooking after taste testing for spice level ( assuming you have more Chili left) add remaining ⅓ cup of beer, or up to a cup depending on consistency desired. Let simmer for one more hour.
Hopefully this goes without saying but you should drink the rest of the Double Rainbow while you are waiting for this to finish, please, or give it to your Grandma or whomever.
Serve in large bowls with cheese, tortilla chips, and sour cream and green onion to garnish, or add extra hot sauce for even more insane heat like my boyfriend does.
Pairing:
Drink with the malty hoppy richness of The Double Rainbow, a full bodied red ale, coming in around 7.5% ABV. The biscuity flavors in the beer soothe the palate while the hoppy kick from the generous amount of hops added, stands up to the rich spice of the Chili and the beer flavors cooked with in. This is really an amazing, rich and spice laden Chili, the perfect accompaniment for an amazing beer such as Double Rainbow. Since Natalia couldn’t cook this particular recipe with me, we were forced to eat most of the Chili and drink all the Double Rainbow, rough life, I know! Cheers, happy eating and drinking!
Deal:
As with any recipe of ours you cook from our food blog, bring in an ingredient receipt anytime in February or March (until Double Rainbow is gone) and receive $2 off a growler of Double Rainbow at either location, or if not on tap, get a $3 22 oz. bottle of it. You’re Welcome.
