CANADIAN WINTER CHILI

CANADIAN WINTER CHILI

 

Sort (ie throw away any broken or discolored ones) and rinse:	450 5 Thompson’s Ultimate 15 Bean Mix* 200 g Thompson’s Red Kidney Beans
Place in a glass or stainless steel container. Cover with cold water - 3 cups water for every cup of beans. Soak beans overnight in refrigerator.
Combine in a large stock pot:	4 cups cold water 4 cups beef or vegetable soup stock soaked beans, drained
Bring to a boil and then simmer approximately one hour or until the beans are nearly tender.
Brown in a skillet, then add to beans along with:	500g - 1kg of ground beef, according to your                                          preference 454 mL diced or fresh tomatoes 398 mL tomato sauce 156 mL tomato paste 1 tbsp lemon juice
Dice and stir fry until tender, then add to beans:	1 large onion 2 cloves of garlic, minced 2 cups carrots 1 cup celery
Add seasoning:	1½ tsp rosemary 1½ tsp basil 1½ tsp thyme 1½ tsp chili powder ½ tsp red or chili pepper flakes 1 tbsp parsley 1½ tsp salt pepper 1 bay leaf
Simmer an hour or two, and adjust the salt, pepper and herbs to taste.
FoodNotes: Do not crowd the saucepan with the vegetables, or they will steam rather than fry; cook in two or three lots if necessary. Add a green pepper if you like. It will take on a mushy texture during the long simmer - try adding it last or tossing it in raw, if you prefer it crisper. Seasonings are minimal - adjust to your taste - double them if you like hot and spicy. Freezes well. *15-bean mix contains: white pea beans, black beans, green lentils, pinto beans, yellow eye beans, light and dark red kidney beans, pink beans, green split peas, yellow split peas, baby lima beans, black eye peas, pearl barley, cranberry beans and chick peas.