Every family has their favorite chili recipe, and ours is no exception. Well, except that we have several we love. Chili is one of those things that seems to evolve depending on what’s in the freezer and pantry. This past week, I created a delicious pot of beans and meat that was not only good the first day but even better the next. My advice to you is to make plenty to enjoy on the days you don’t want to cook. I served it with a rustic loaf of Cheddar Green Onion Raised Cornbread. See recipe below.

One of Our Favorite Chilis

Ingredients

• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ¼ cup cornmeal
• 4 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15-ounce can of corn

Instructions

1. In a Dutch oven or soup pot, brown the ground beef over medium heat in olive oil until no longer pink. Add onions and bell pepper, and cook about 3 minutes. Add the garlic. Cook about another minute.
2. Add chili powder, salt, cumin, and Italian seasoning. Heat until fragrant.
3. Add water, tomatoes, cornmeal, black beans, and corn to pot. Give it a stir, and then let simmer for about an hour to let the ingredients mingle a bit.
4. Enjoy!

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Cheddar and Green Onion Raised Cornbread

I have been making rustic loaves of bread over these past few weeks of lockdown. The smell of baking bread is quite soothing and the taste—comforting. The recipe was inspired by one I found in Bread Toast Crumbs by Alexandra Stafford. She uses a no-knead method in her bread baking that results in a texture like sourdough or ciabatta. It’s super quick to get it going. All you do is measure and mix and then rise. It is about three hours start to finish, but less than ten minutes of your attention for two loaves of yumminess.

I took my lead from ingredients I had on hand to create this recipe since we’re all trying to stay out of public spaces. You can do the same. Just keep the proportions in mind as you add what you have. Good luck and happy baking!

Cheddar and Green Onion Raised Cornbread

Makes two loaves

Ingredients

• 4 cups (512 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (55 g) cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 ½ teaspoons yeast
• 2 cups lightly packed grated cheddar cheese
• ½ cup sliced green onions
• 2 cups lukewarm water
• Butter for greasing baking pans or bowls

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, and yeast. Add cheese and scallions. Toss to coat.
2. Add the water. Mix until the liquid is absorbed, and the ingredients form a sticky dough ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 ½ – 2 hours and has doubled in bulk.
3. Set the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 375 degrees F.
4. Grease two 1-quart ovenproof bowls or containers, I use square glass storage dishes.
5. Use two forks to deflate the dough by releasing it from the sides of the bowl and pulling toward the center.
6. With forks, divide the dough into two equal parts and dump each into the prepared bowls/containers. Do not cover bowls. Let rise near the oven for 20-30 minutes, until dough crowns the rim of the baking container.
7. Put containers into the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown all around. Remove from oven and turn out on wire cooling rack. Allow loaves at least ten minutes of cooling time. Bread continues to form the inner crumb during this time, so don’t skip it. You will get a better product.
8. Enjoy!

Check This Out!

Please visit Alexandra Stafford’s beautiful blog, Alexandra’s Kitchen. It is full of beautiful seasonal recipes and you can also purchase her cookbook Bread Toast Crumbs there. It belongs in everyone’s library.

We’re only here for a little while, and we should make the most of it.

Hang in there. Eat well. Stay safe.