Recipe #4: Gameday Chili

 It has been a while since we had any version of chili in the Baldner home; with to-day's drippy 50's and college football the agenda, I thought it high time. The local Polly Market has these pork 'tenderloins' marked down to $2.49 a pound, but they're really two loins together mushed inside the plastic packaging to make it look like a tenderloin you could slice into chops, etc. I quartered lengthwise one of the loins and then diced it into bite size chunks, then marinated it over night in soy sauce and garlic. Oh how those two enhance the flavor of my favorite cut of protein! The last of our sweet bell peppers and a few slices of homegrown chilis round out this comfort food favorite.

To-day's ingredients:

1 lb 83% ground turkey

1 lb diced pork loin

2 small yellow onions diced

1 sweet bell pepper diced

several slices of pickled jalapeno, sans seeds

10 oz Miller Lite

1 ear of Bently Lake Farms sweet corn

1 can Kroger diced tomatoes

I can Kroger no salt black beans - rinsed and drained

1 can Brooks mild chili beans

1 squeeze of tomato paste

1 squirt yellow mustard

several dashes of Worcestershire

I started by cooking the meat, and adding to the crock pot on high everything else. I chose to not add any further seasoning to this batch, so the flavor of the meat and vegetables would be the focus.

 

I let it cook on high starting at about 9:00. Around 10 brought the first hints of that early melded flavor. By 12:30 I had to have a small bowl. Between the hours of 1 and 3 I put a good dent in the quantity. Pretty darn good.

While the chili was cooking, I warmed up the kitchen by baking a couple of our favorite baguette loafs. 

Praise be to God!