Instead of thesis work this evening, I spent a very pleasant time chatting with an old friend who dropped by for a visit. I even got the dishes done and cooked chilli – see, those things don’t generally happen unless I feel that I can efficiently multi-task, typically by at least talking to somebody.
I pulled out my brand-new stainless steel pressure cooker that I got for my birthday way back in June (from my future mother and father-in-law). I’ve been a bit afraid of pressure cookers since my hippy days with my ex-husband, when I successfully branded the ceiling with beans. I bet that gross brown stain is still there.
Anyway, the chilli turned out fantastico, and this is the recipe I used, with my ad lib modifications:
2 1/4 # lean ground beef (I used 1# cubed stew beef)
1/2 olive oil (I used grapeseed)
2 lg onions (I only had one left)
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups kidney beans, soaked (I used 2 c pinto)
4 lg tomatos, peeled and chopped or 3 cups canned, grained and chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tbs salt
2 tbs tomato paste (I used one large can of tom puree and skipped the water too)
3 tbs chilli powder (I used five whole fresh chillis)
1/4 pepper
1/2 tsp basil (didn’t use)
2 tsp cumin
2 cups water
1. Brown the meat, onions, and garlic in the pressure cooker.
2. Add all other ingredients.
3. Close pressure cooker and bring to full pressure at high heat. As soon as it starts hissing, reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and let cooker stop hissing before opening (don’t rush this!)
5. Tomorrow I will post a delicious cornbread recipe, unless somebody wants to post a great suggestion recipe first.
I was impressed with how easy and fast the whole process was – next I will try a batch of plain beans for refried bean dip. Don’t tell Bella since she prefers the canned kind. Right now she prefers everything the way she thinks other whitebread families are doing it.