No-Bean Ground Beef Chili 8.2.14

Yesterday, it began to rain...in Southern California...in the summer.  We had planned to make hamburgers on the grill, but the rain made me nostalgic for cool fall days (and I was really bored) so I decided to turn our ground beef into some chili.

I searched around on the internet for some decent no-bean chili recipes (although for vegetarian/vegan friends/bean loving readers, this chili would make a great base for a bean chili as well, subbing or adding black or kidney beans for the meat), but didn't really find anything I loved so I decided just to experiment.  I figured I'd use spices that I had that some of the recipes recommended, and then I'd just keep tasting it until the balance seemed right to me.

After cooking for a few years, this has become my philosophy towards food preparation--start with a basic idea of where you're going, use recipes as a guide for ingredients and then modify according to taste.  So, here's what the chili looked like in the mid-simmer stage:

Mmmmm, chili...

And here's what's in the chili (in the order I used it):

• Cooking Oil (I used olive oil, but I don't think it really matters)
• Diced Onion
• Diced Green Pepper
• Diced Red Pepper
• Fresh parsley
• Chili powder 
• Cumin
• Garlic Powder
• Sweet Paprika
• A touch of brown sugar
• Ground beef
• Worcestershire sauce
• Canned tomatoes

Just guestimating, I'd say approximately 1 onion, 1 green pepper & 1 red pepper & 1-2 cans of canned tomatoes (depending on how much tomato you like in your chili) per pound of meat is about the right ratio.  Use the seasoning to taste, but don't put in too much brown sugar unless you really like sweetness.  I found the chili powder & the worcestershire to be the most useful (read copious) seasonings.  Sauté veggies in oil over medium heat, add in dry/fresh herbs & spices, add in ground beef, season with worcestershire sauce--add in canned tomatoes, taste, add salt, taste some more and add in seasoning to taste.  Simmer for about 30 minutes to let the flavors soak in or less if you have less time. Because it really cooks in 10-15 minutes.

For serving, you'll notice there is no real thickener and the chili comes out a little soupy.  I solved this by adding crushed tortilla chips to the bottom of my bowl, piling on the chili then adding some cheddar cheese.  Yum.  And the leftovers are just as tasty (or perhaps more so, as the flavors have had more time to develop).  I didn't need tortilla chips for my morning-after breakfast chili, but it's totally up to you.  Happy Eating!