My Favorite Chili | Emily Weinberger Recipes

Growing up chili was a huge dinnertime staple in our house. I grew up in Ohio so when the weather turned you could bet the large stockpot came out and my mom got down to business. I always requested it when I came home from college and even so now when she comes to visit my family and I in Brooklyn. It screams comfort and coziness and is gigantically nostalgic for me. My mom always added sausage to the chili, which is different from most, but pretty much how it has to be when I make it. I have tried other versions with only beef, different cuts of beef, and turkey, but nothing is as good as the sausage/beef combination. In my recipe, I add sweet potatoes and use cumin seeds, rather than ground cumin as I feel it really amps up the flavor. Canned, whole tomatoes are key. The large chunks really soak up the spiced sauce and burst in your mouth with every bite. Ok, I never knew I had so many humongous feelings about chili! On to the recipe…

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons cumin seeds or ground cumin

2 tablespoons ancho chili powder or chili powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 pound ground mild sausage

1/2 pound ground beef (preferably 80/20)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes

One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

One 14.5-ounce can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

One 14.5-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped into ½-inch pieces

Sliced radish, sliced jalapeno, shredded Cheddar, cilantro, and sour cream, for garnish

Cooking Instructions:

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the cumin seeds, ancho chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and cinnamon and stir to toast the spices and until they become very fragrant about 1 minute. Add the sausage, ground beef, 1 tablespoon salt, and a generous amount of black pepper and cook, breaking the meat into small chunks and stirring occasionally, until the meat is no longer pink in the middle, 5 to 6 minutes.

Add the whole tomatoes, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, pinto beans, sweet potatoes, and 1 cup water and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender and the sauce has thickened slightly about 30 minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with the radish, jalapeno, Cheddar, cilantro, and sour cream, if desired.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Active time: 20 minutes

Total time: 50 minutes