Road Trip Chili
By Cathy Burford
The following recipe was created after a few trips to an eatery in Oregon that my husband was raving about. While everyone else was enjoying their meals, I was dissecting each spoonful to get a handle on the suspected ingredients. After several experiments, I was convinced that I had practically duplicated it! It has become a family favorite. About 5 years ago we went back to that restaurant and ordered the chili, and I was quite shocked to find that it tasted very different than my own. In short, we all liked my ‘home-grown’ version better! As with any good chili recipe, feel free to alter away!
1½ lbs Ground Beef, preferably sirloin or chuck
2-16 oz cans kidney beans, un-drained
½ large onion, chopped
1-16 oz can stewed tomatoes, diced & un-drained
8 oz sliced mushrooms
2¼ oz can sliced black olives
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1 Tab dried parsley
½ tsp celery salt
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp cayenne
½ tsp cumin
1½ Tab chili powder
Salt & pepper to your taste
Brown ground beef well. Add onion and garlic, and cook until slightly wilted, approximately 10 minutes. Add balance of ingredients, reduce heat & simmer, uncovered a minimum of 30 minutes (one hour is best). Serve with grated sharp cheddar, diced Bermuda onion, and sour cream if desired. Serves 4-6
I like to make this a day before leaving on a trip. Store in 2-serving plastic storage containers (rectangular is best) to utilize fridge space. If you want to make it on the road, I suggest putting all the dry ingredients in a zip-lock bag, and the same goes for your onions & garlic. Then, basically, all you need is a big pot and a can opener!
Enjoy!
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