Three Bean Chili

Within days of the Winter Solstice came a winter white landscape here in the midwest. However, it also came with finger biting, frigid, below zero, dangerously cold weather. The anticipation of the arrival of arctic winter temperatures unleashed my cravings for hearty, home cooked comfort food. And what better way to warm up the house and my belly than with chili. One having a long, slow cooking time allowing for the flavors to deepen while having the added benefit of creating an intoxicating aroma in the house. If there was ever a chili to remind us of the rewards of slowing down and taking a deep breath, it would be this Three Bean Chili. With a simmer time of six to seven hours the chili is transformed into a deliriously delicious, soul satisfying, perfect cold weather meal. 

Yes, I know there are four other chili recipes on the blog. But I am going to go out on a very short limb and declare this to be the BEST EVER chili. Quite possibly it may be the only chili I will make from this day forward. Because without exaggeration this chili is seriously damn delicious! Destined to win any throw down competition or neighborhood chili contest along with winning the hearts of and earning high praise from your family and friends. 

All of the other chili recipes on the blog are made with either beef or turkey. This one is made with beef and pork. The combination of these two meats gives the chili a richer depth of flavor and an even greater texture. Black beans, pinto beans, and kidney beans (rinsed and drained) are what some call the best bean trifecta. Mild chili powder, cumin, Aleppo pepper, Kosher salt, black pepper, and bay leaves make up the spices. Garlic, red pepper, green pepper, and yellow onion when lightly sautéed in olive oil retain their shape and flavor during the long, slow cooking process. Red enchilada sauce and diced tomatoes bring lots of flavor. For just the right amount of heat, Tapatio Hot Sauce is an ingredient must. A little bit of sugar helps to temper all of the ingredients. And, last but not least, some water (two cups to be exact) to help tenderize the meat and keep everything from drying out. This is one of those recipes where every ingredient matters. Leave something out and you won't have the BEST EVER chili. 

We all have our favorite chili garnishes. From shredded cheese, to green onion, to avocado, to sour cream, to pickled jalapeños, to avocado, to guacamole, to chopped cilantro, to cooked macaroni, to oyster crackers, to cornbread, to fritos chips, the list is almost endless. So when serving the Three Bean Chili put out bowls or platters of everyone's favorites! 

The chili can be assembled in less than thirty minutes. After bringing it to a boil, all that is left to do is occasionally give it a stir while it simmers over a very low flame. Stirring the chili will help ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. Place a lid on top of the pot to help retain the heat, but turn the lid slightly so that it doesn't completely seal the pan or create unnecessary condensation.

This Three Bean Chili has a very long cooking time. It will take anywhere from six to seven hours for the flavors to fully develop. Taste it at the six hour mark, but if you can, let it go for the full seven hours.

The Three Bean Chili is mouthwatering delicious on the day it is made. However, it is just as good, maybe even a tiny bit better, when leftovers (if there are any) are slowly reheated on the stove. 

Which makes this Three Bean Chili the perfect dish for a weekend gathering of family and/or friends. Whether it's just for fun, to watch a sporting event, or to celebrate an occasion or holiday, this Three Bean Chili is destined to be a huge hit! If I was a betting person (which I am not) I would venture to guess this will definitely become one of your signature, favorite go-to dishes! If, by chance, you are invited to a chili cook off competition at any point in the future, you might end up coming home with the trophy! And lastly, if you are just looking to take the chill off of a very cold day, well you absolutely want to or rather I should say you definitely must make this Three Bean Chili!

Recipe

Three Bean Chili

Serves at least 8

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green pepper, diced

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/4 pounds of ground beef (either an 80/20 or 90/10 blend)

1 pound ground pork

26 ounce (794g) can of diced tomatoes

15 ounce (425g) can of black beans, drained and rinsed

16 ounce (454g) can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed

16 ounce (454g) can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed

20 ounces of red enchilada sauce (see notes)

2 ounces (58g) mild chili powder (very close to 1/2 cup)

3 bay leaves

1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons cumin 

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons Tapatio hot sauce (can also use Cholula Hot Sauce)

1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or cayenne pepper

2 cups water

Serving and garnishing options: Sour cream, green onions, sliced avocado, shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese of choice), pickled jalapeños, chopped cilantro, cooked macaroni, oyster crackers, fritos chips, guacamole, cornbread

Directions

1. In a large, deep sided pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil. Add in the the diced peppers, diced onion, and minced garlic. Sauté just until they begin to slightly soften. Remove from the pan and transfer to a bowl temporarily.

2. Add the beef and pork to the same pan and cook until the meat is browned and cooked through (about 8-10 minutes.

3. Add the cooked vegetables, all of the spices, the sugar, the red enchilada sauce, the can of diced tomatoes, and the Tapatio hot sauce. Stir to combine. At this point you can transfer the entire mixture to a large cast iron dutch oven. 

4. Pour in 2 cups of water into the mixture. Stir well.

5. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then immediately lower the heat to a simmer. Over the next 6-7 hours, stir the chili occasionally to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. Before serving the chili taste for seasonings (Kosher salt and/or pepper). Note: I didn't add any more salt of pepper.

6. Serve with your favorite garnishes!

Notes: (1) Recipe inspired from multiple sources. (2) When buying red enchilada sauce you may need two jars to ensure you have 20 ounces (jars of store bought red enchilada sauce come in 10 ounce of 14 ounce sizes). (3) Regardless if you use 80/20 or 90/10 beef, don't drain any of the rendered fat (there will be very little anyway). (4) A two ounce jar of chili powder (found in the spice aisle) will give you enough for this recipe (you may end up with an extra Tablespoon). (5) I sautéed the vegetables and cooked the meats in a large skillet. When all of the ingredients were mixed in, I transferred to a large cast iron dutch oven.

Peanut Butter Irish Coffee

We almost always remember firsts and lasts. And when it comes meals, the final bite or final drink significantly influences whether they will be remembered as either lackluster or epic. Which is why I think I spend as much time planning the dessert and/or the final cocktail as I do on the entire menu. Who doesn't want to sway the way guests feel when they leave your home?

It was only recently that I became aware there was such a thing as Peanut Butter Whiskey. If my friend Rose hadn't told me about there was such a thing, I may have never been able to serve Peanut Butter Irish Whiskeys to bring a really good meal to a great ending!

The recipe for this Peanut Butter Irish Coffee is very similar to my favorite recipe for Irish Coffee. The only difference being I use Screwball Peanut Butter Whiskey instead of using Bailey's Irish Cream.

The flavor of peanut butter in the whiskey is more subtle than it is forthright. Which makes it the kind of drink having a broader appeal beyond peanut butter lovers. 

Because this beverage has very few ingredients, it's important that they be really good ones. One of your favorite coffees (made fresh after grinding the beans), the homemade demerara syrup, lightly sweetened freshly whipped cream, and the Screwball Peanut Butter Whiskey will elevate the deliciousness of your Peanut Butter Irish Coffee to even higher level. Lightly shaving some chocolate over the top will give it that priceless wow factor finish!

If you are looking for an end of evening signature cocktail, this Peanut Butter Irish Coffee should be one of your top contenders!

With the holidays already upon us, this is the perfect time to start making these Peanut Butter Irish Coffees for your family and friends. Did I happen to mention they would also be the perfect beverage to enjoy on a chilly night sitting by the fire? But let me not pigeon hole this beverage into only a couple of occasions. As the number of ways to enjoy this swoonworthy coffee is almost endless. May your holidays now be even happier and your cold nights warmer!

Recipe

Peanut Butter Irish Coffee

Makes 1 delicious beverage

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounces Screwball Peanut Butter Whiskey

4 ounces fresh brewed coffee

1/2 ounces demerara syrup 

2 Tablespoons lightly sweetened whipped cream

Garnish: Shaved or peeled chocolate or a crumbled Cadbury Flake bar

Directions

1. To make the demerara syrup put 1/2 cup (100g) demerara sugar and 1/4 cup of water in a small pan. Heat over medium heat until the sugar dissolves (stir frequently). Immediately remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof jar. Let the syrup cool slightly. Store any leftover syrup in a covered jar in the refrigerator.

2. Pour the Screwball Peanut Butter Whiskey into a heat proof glass.

3. Mix together the coffee and demerara syrup together. Then pour into the glass with the whiskey. Stir to combine.

4. Pipe of dollop or pipe the lightly sweetened whipped cream on top. Garnish with shaved chocolate. Serve immediately.

Notes: (1) The demerara syrup will last in the refrigerator fo 2-3 weeks. Either bring to room temperature before using if chilled.

Breakfast Hashbrown Casserole

The holidays give us even more reason to bake cookies, make edible gifts, extend invitations to gatherings, and/or bring a dish to a potluck (yes, they are coming back!). These are just some of the ways we honor long standing traditions, express gratitude and love to family and friends, and create memories. From cocktail parties, to dinner parties, to breakfasts, brunches and luncheons, food and beverages usually take center stage. In "The Omnivorous Mind" John S. Allen captured the connection between food and memories perfectly: "We all have our food memories, some good and some bad. The taste, smell and texture of food can be extraordinarily evocative, bringing back memories not just of eating food itself but also the place and setting. Food is an effective trigger of deeper memories of feelings and emotions....." No wonder so many of us put even more love and thought into the food we make and serve during the holidays. Especially if we seek to create good, maybe even great memories.

Many of us have a favorite Cheesy Potato Casserole recipe. One we like to make for and/or bring to a barbecue, potluck, and/or holiday meal. If our beloved recipe is made with frozen diced hashbrowns, Velveeta cheese, and topped with crushed cornflakes we don't (or I should say I don't) often make it for an early or late morning breakfast (in spite of its' crushed cereal topping). But a Hashbrown Casserole, one using frozen shredded country-style hashbrowns and cheddar cheese but sans a cereal topping, is absolutely made for breakfast and/or brunch. Hence the name Breakfast Hashbrown Casserole.

More often than not, when having breakfast in a restaurant I ask them to hold the hashbrowns. However, after running a Turkey Trot in Nashville, Tennessee on Thanksgiving morning we wanted a good breakfast. Frothy Monkey (one of our favorites) was closed for the holiday so we headed over to the legendary Loveless Cafe (iykyk). Fortunately we got there just before the long waiting line started. As I looked at the menu something told me I should probably get the hashbrown casserole to go with my poached eggs, thickly sliced country ham, and fried green tomato biscuit (I was starving!). Whether that something was hunger or a post race carb craving, ordering a side of the hashbrown casserole turned out to be one of those 'best ever' decisions. In one bite I was hopelessly madly in love. And happy I didn't skip the hashbrowns this time.

Upon returning home from the trip to Nashville, I immediately ordered a copy of The Loveless Cafe cookbook, Not only did I want to get my hands on their insanely scrumptious banana pudding recipe, I wanted their hashbrown casserole recipe too. Fortunately the book contains both of them. With the exceptions of making significant reductions to the amount of salt and pepper, slightly increasing the amount the cheddar cheese used, and increasing the baking time, this Breakfast Hashbrown Casserole comes really, really, really close to replicating the flavor and texture of the one I ate on Thanksgiving morning.

If there was ever a dish to prove simplicity can sometimes be underrated, it would be this Breakfast Hashbrown Casserole. Slightly thawed country style (shredded) hashbrowns, sour cream, mild cheddar cheese, cream of chicken soup, a finely minced yellow onion, Kosher salt and pepper gets mixed together and baked in a lightly buttered skillet. Five ingredients, not including the Kosher salt and pepper, create such irresistible, craveworthy deliciousness, you might even be tempted to take a second helping. Trust me when I say you will not want to take a hard hashbrown pass, if a skillet of this Breakfast Hashbrown Casserole is set on the table.

Unlike other hashbrown casseroles where the cheese and butter can make you feel like you are eating a potato version of macaroni and cheese, the hashbrowns remain the star of the show in this one. The cheese, sour cream, and cream of chicken soup don't smother the flavor of the potatoes, rather they elevate it. 

Paired with some scrambled eggs and bacon (or if you are lucky enough to live in the South and have access to country ham), you have the makings of an unfussy, yet incredibly fabulous breakfast. Add some fresh fruit, biscuits or bagels, juice, and coffee and you suddenly have everything you need for a weekend or holiday brunch. This is easy, (almost) effortless entertaining at its' best! 

Recipe

Breakfast Hashbrown Casserole

Serves 8

Ingredients

30 ounce (850g) bag of shredded country style hashbrown potatoes, slightly thawed

1 medium sized yellow onion, finely minced

8 ounces (226) to 10 ounces (283g) shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese (highly recommend going with 10 ounces)

10 1/5 ounce (298g) can of cream of chicken soup

16 ounces (454g) sour cream

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 Tablespoons room temperature butter for preparing the baking pan/dish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F).

2. Take the bag of hashbrowns out of the refrigerator for 20 minutes prior to mixing the casserole so they become slightly thawed. You don't want your hashbrowns to be completely frozen.

3. Butter a 12" round cast iron skillet or a 9" x 13" baking pan with two tablespoons of room temperature butter. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, minced yellow onion, Kosher salt, and black pepper. Mix until well blended.

5. Add in the slightly thawed hasbrowns. Mix well. Transfer to the prepared baking pan/dish.

6. Bake for 45-55 minutes until the top is browned and the casserole is cooked through. Serve immediately. Note: Begin checking for doneness at the 35 minute mark, especially if you are using a  9" x 13" (glass) baking pan.

Notes: (1) You can assemble the casserole the night before. Cover and refrigerate. Take it out at least 30 minutes before putting it in the oven. (2) I usually like to grate my own cheese rather than buy the package of shredded cheese, but the packaged shredded cheese worked perfectly. 

Nashville, Tennessee (November 2022)