Farm-to-Table: Chili ‘n’ Cheese

What better way to warm up these cold winter days than to make a big pot of chili! Today we’re sharing a favorite chili recipe as part of our Farm-to-Table series.
 

Farm-to-Table: Chili ‘n’ Cheese

We used a recipe for Cincinnati Chili from a book called The Chili Cookbook by Robb Walsh. You may be wondering, what’s the difference between Cincinnati Chili and Texas Chili? Cincinnati Chili doesn’t have any beans and the beef is never browned. The beef, tallow and water cooks together with the onions and spices.  As it slowly simmers, the water does the job of breaking up the beef.

Keeping with our Farm-to-Table theme for these posts, we used local ingredients including ground beef from the Hudson Valley, onions and garlic purchased from our local farmers market, and cheese made in upstate New York to add on top of our chili before serving.

Ready to make your own pot of warm and spicy chili? Here’s what you’ll need:

Chili ‘n’ Cheese

1/2 cup beef tallow or 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 white onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 pounds ground beef chuck
2 fresh or canned tomatoes, chopped
1/4 apple cider vinegar
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper, or more to taste
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 ground cloves
shredded cheese to add on top

Melt the tallow or vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onion is softened, about 10 minutes. Add 4 cups of water and the ground beef, stirring to blend well. When the beef breaks up, add the tomatoes, vinegar tomato sauce, salt, black pepper, chili powder, paprika, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, and cloves, stirring well.

Decrease the heart to a simmer and cook the chili for 1 hour or more.  Alternatively, transfer the chili to a slow-cooker set on low and cook for at least 6 and up to 8 hours. Adjust the seasonings to taste.

Add shredded cheese of your preference before serving.  Enjoy in front of a warm fire, cherishing every delicioius bite while looking out over a snowy landscape (just like we did from TinkerBox – scroll down to see our view from last weekend)! Enjoy!