It occurred to me a while ago that I needed to change my cooking style.  I am trying to cook from scratch, with the least amount of processed food as I can.  People who are truly looking to change their diet, have to look at what they put in their bodies.  If you read a label on a can of food, you would be be appalled at how much salt and sugar is added.  There are alternatives, they just take time. For example, beans.  Canned beans have a tremendous amount of added salt, not to mention the expense.  Compare the price of two or three cans of pinto beans to the amount you could buy of dry beans. Not even close, for the same amount of money, 2-3 times more food, without all the added crap.

So today, I made Chili Con Carne. This is a simple recipe that can be easily modified to be more mild or more spicy depending on your taste.  So the basic ingredients are:

2-3 pounds of lean ground beef. ( I prefer 85-90% lean).

3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and diced fine.

1 large onion, cut up.

4-5 large diced tomatoes

1 bag pinto beans

sugar

red wine

chili powder

cayenne pepper

salt

black pepper.

So to start:

the beans are where the time in this dish come in .  Try to soak them the night before, so they are ready when you start the dish.  if you forget to soak them, all is not lost.  You can blanche them, and they should be ready with plenty of time to spare.

So how do I blanche something? Super easy to do.  Take your beans cover them in a pot, full of cold water.  Heat the water and beans to a boil, and let them cook for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and keep them covered with a tight lid for 1 hour. The beans should be softened enough for cooking.

Now:

heat a TB of olive oil in your pot. Add garlic and cook until fragrant and then add the onion.  The onion should be stirred until slightly brown. Now add the hamburger.  This should be left to brown throughout. Drain the fat periodically from the meat.

At this point, you can add salt and pepper. I  prefer sea salt for its taste. I add about 1tsp here and about 1/4 –1/2 tsp of pepper. Add diced tomatoes.  You want to add about 4-5 tomatoes, including the liquid.  Let that cook a bit, then add 1tsp – 2tbs of chili powder, depending on how spicy you like it. Add 1 tsp of sugar and a 1 bay leaf.   You can also add some dry red wine at this point.  I can hear some of you out there- red wine? really?  the taste of the wine infuses into the during and the alcohol cooks off. The flavor is terrific. I suggest using between 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup of a dry red.

Now for the beans: add them to the chili, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for an hour or so.  At this point the chili should be thickening up, so give it a taste.  At this point, adjust the salt if needed and the spice.  If its too salty, add some liquid to dilute it.  You  can use canned tomato sauce, which will intensify the tomato flavor.  If its too spicy, add some sugar, about a tsp at a time, until its more to your liking.

Cook another 1/2 hour longer and the chili should be really thick.  Test your beans to make sure they are cooked through. Remove from heat and serve. You can garnish with chopped onions and cheese. I also like to serve with a dollop of sour cream and some tortilla chips on the side.