Yummy Chili

I've been so hungry for chili or soup, or even the weather to eat chili or soup. And yesterday was it!

I threw this together in the pressure cooker, since I didn't start until about 4:00 pm. It would work great in the crockpot if you browned the meat and vegetables first and started it in the morning. A pot on the stove would work too. As usual, this is a guideline, not a scientific report. This is what I had on hand and used - you can sub almost anywhere!

Greene Chili (ha ha)

1 pound ground turkey
1 pound ground beef
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
1-2 bell peppers
5 ounces mushrooms
2-3 carrots
2-3 stalks celery
1-2 cups chopped sweet potato
1 can crushed tomatoes (medium can)
1 can chopped tomatoes (I used a large can)
chili spices to taste: cumin, chili powder, paprika, green chile seasoning
salt/pepper to taste

Brown meat, crumbling, and remove to a bowl. Saute vegetables in same pan until they start to soften. Return meat to pan and add tomatoes and seasonings.

Using the pressure cooker, I added about 1/2 cup of water to make sure it wouldn't burn or go dry. I covered it, put the weight thingy on top and brought it up to full pressure. I lowered the heat until it just "sang" a bit and let it cook under pressure for about 15 minutes. I then lowered the heat to low, and let it simmer for another hour or so. The pressure dropped naturally during that time, so I was able to check on it. It was ready after about 20 minutes, but I let it simmer until we were ready to eat.

On the stove, I would also add water and bring the chili up to a simmer (gentle barely bubbling boil), then turn down very low and let it cook as long as you can. An hour would be fine (you want the veggies soft), but longer is good. Add water as necessary to replace the steam that burns off.

In the crockpot, you probably don't need any additional water. Just put the chili into the pot, turn it on low, and go about your day for 8 hours or so. If you're in a hurry, turn it to high for part of the time. If you're really in a hurry, I highly recommend a good pressure cooker.

This was really delicious. I went a little heavy on the spicy side (think it was the green chile seasoning I added), but Stuart thought it was perfect.

Next time, I would add more vegetables. There was plenty of meat. The sweet potato adds the perfect touch of sweetness and mellows out the flavor. And Hil, the mushrooms are optional, but they pretty much disappeared into the chili and even you couldn't have found them!

Make a lot and freeze some for that day that you know is coming, when you are tired and hungry and want something that Mom would have made. ;-)

P.S. The almond muffins were great with this!