Chili & Cornbread
Not just any chili, venison chili. Pretty similar to beef chili, but a little bit more flavor. There is a gaminess to the deer meat, but is more mild than the gaminess of lamb.
A glass of wine always helps the spices get measured perfectly. Since I used all venison, there was no fat to worry about draining off, so I basically cooked the meat with the spices allowing slightly more flavor saturation of the meat. Spicy, lightly gamy meat. A nice compliment to the acidic tomatoes.
I had to pick some green tomatoes at the end of the summer and did not fry them all before they ripened in the bowl in the kitchen. They made a perfect addition to the chili as diced tomatoes.
Since I was using fresh rather than canned I cooked them down a bit with some salt, garlic. and chili powder. Yep, chili is yummy. I like to make chili pretty warm, but not over the top. It's nice to be able to add a bit of extra spice to the bowl to make it "just right."
Yes, you so see cinnamon in the line up. There is also curry. oops, I just gave away my secret seasonings! Oh well, it's better to share anyway. Plus, I cannot remember, but I may have gotten the idea of one of them from a co-worker. I got the idea of the other when I accidentally used it, good thing it tasted good. Add some onion and beans with a side of cornbread, for good measure, and we are left with good food.
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JiMele's Chili
*I rarely measure when I make chili. I make it more to be a certain texture.
About 1 lb ground venison
6-7 medium tomatoes diced, or 1 28oz can
1 can crushed tomatoes (small can tor thinner chili, larger can for thicker)
1 large onion
2-4 cloves garlic crushed then chopped
2-3 cans beans (red/kidney, pinto, black, a combination, your choice)
Lots of chili powder
ancho chili powder
Cayenne pepper
Paprika
Red chili flakes
a dash of cinnamon and curry
a few dashes of what ever hot pepper sauce you like
