Best Chili Recipe in the World- Really!

OK so I over-hyped the chili in the title of this blog but it is a favorite in our house.  With the cold weather this week and maybe our first snow of the season I always start to think of making chili.  Somehow warm weather is not the time for chili.  So as I drain the outside water faucets and pull up my dead tomato plants (did anyone get many tomatoes this year??) I plan to make my first batch of chili of the season.

 Like everything else in our family the different tastes and food choices have begun to make food like chili more complicated.  Sometimes we end up with "add your own ingredients" and "make it as spicy as you want." I leave out the meat for my vegan kids and don't put to much spice into it for my wife.  Those get added by other members of the family after they put their portions in their bowls.

Ingredients including the secret ingredient that makes it great:
For the meat I like the pulled pork from Kolby's Smokehouse in the shopping strip off Johns Hopkins Road
Tomato base of San Marzano tomatoes found in cans in most grocery stores.  I buy the big can at Costco.
Sauted sliced portobello mushrooms
Finely chopped red peppers
Finely chopped large sweet onion
One can of beef broth
One cup of Don Pepino ground tomatoes or pizza sauce
Chili beans
Half cup of green salsa
1/2 cup red wine (more if you like a stronger wine taste) or grape juice for non drinkers
Secret ingredient----Sazon Goya Coriander and Annatto.  This is found in the Mexican aisle at Shoppers or Weis.  Without this it isn't the same chili.  Found about this seasoning from a student intern that stayed with us from Puerto Rico.


You can see I didn't give many quantities with the ingredients. Chili is one of those dishes that you make by taste.  Chop the onion, red peppers and portobello mushrooms and saute them in a pan with some butter. Then add the pulled pork and add the Sazon seasoning to taste. The box I buy comes with packets of seasoning.  I usually use 2 packets but again this is to your taste.  You can add more if you like later.

In a blender or food processor blend tomatoes till it is liquid.  Add the cup Don Pepino ground tomato sauce (found at Sam's Club) or pizza sauce to thicken the liquid.   Pour into a large pot with the wine, beef broth, sauteed vegetables, chili beans, green salsa and pulled pork.  Cook on a medium setting until it comes to a slow boil then reduce heat to a low setting and cook until the liquid is less watery and thicker.  Depending on the amount of liquid you used it can be from 45 minutes to 75 minutes.  Taste again and add a little more Sazon seasoning if the seasoning taste is not distinct enough. I know this recipe takes quite a bit of shopping (and cooking) to get all the ingredients that I mentioned and but you can substitute some similar ingredients to the ones I mentioned.
 
I like some good crusty bread with the chili.  Is that snow I see?