Here is my standard recipe which is an adaptation from Craig Claiborne's low salt recipe from a People Magazine celebrity cookbook from the 70's. I do plan to branch out (after all these years, LOL) and try 2 different recipes that I have in mind, but this one is tried and true and pretty good (we think!) and DS now makes it and has also been asked for the recipe by his friends :-)

Chili con Carne

1 tablespoon oil
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1-1/4 pounds ground turkey
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups fresh or 2 pound can diced unsalted tomatoes
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed hot pepper flakes
(optional 1/2-1 cup red wine)
Canned kidney beans, drained (optional)

Heal oil in skillet and cook onion and pepper til wilted.
Add meat and brown.
Sprinkle the meat with garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano and basil. Stir to blend. Add bay leaf, pepper, tomatoes, vinegar, hot red pepper and wine (if using).
Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.
Add kidney beans to heat at last minute (if using).

The starting point for most things Tex-Mex or Italian....or even French is sauteeing some onions and garlic in olive oil....
Then you can either go the ground beef route or the beef chunk thing or white chili with chicken.....and you can do dry beanms or canned beans....cilantro or not...
I best let someone who uses a recipe take it from here!
Linda C....with her own pot of onions going...

Have always loved "red" chili, but white chili is NOW my favorite!!

Glenda or anyone, do you have a recipe for white chili. My son won't eat ground beef so if I make chili I always have to make him something different.

Tracey

Here's mine, Tracey, it's good and quick. Sometimes I get lazy and just add a jar of my home canned salsa in place of the chilies and seasoning. Ashley likes a spoonful of sour cream on hers. I serve it with tortilla chips instead of crackers, or with cornbread.

White Chili

Yield: 8 servings.
Prep Time:15 Minutes
Cook Time:30

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (I use more)
4 cooked, boneless chicken breast half, chopped (I usually just use whatever leftover chicken I have from something else)
6 cups chicken broth
1 (4 ounce) cans canned green chile peppers, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
5 (14.5 ounce) cans great Northern beans, undrained
1 cup shredded cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 10 minutes, or until onions are tender. Add the chicken, chicken broth, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne pepper and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and add the beans. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until heated thoroughly. Pour into individual bowls and top with the cheese.

Annie

First time I ever had white chili was at a Bob Evans restaurant. Here's his and it's the one I use.

SOUTHWESTERN WHITE CHILI

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
4 ounces green chiles, chopped
1 large can white kidney beans (cannellini), undrained
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, ground
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cilantro
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Heat oil and saute chicken and onion 4 to 5 minutes.
Remove chicken and cover to keep warm.

Add garlic to pan and cook 2 minutes or until onions begin to brown.

Stir in chiles, spices and broth and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

Stir in cooked chicken and beans.

Simmer until tender. Serve garnished with Monterey Jack cheese.

{{gwi:2044725}}

2 pounds ground chicken (or turkey)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion; chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
Kosher salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste (about 1 tablespoon for spicy chili)
28 oz. chili ready chopped tomatoes
14 oz. tomato puree or crushed tomatoes
15 oz. chili hot beans with sauce

In a large soup pot, cook ground chicken in olive oil along with onion, cumin, chili powder, about 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper, more if you like it spicy.

When chicken is cooked thru and onions are tender, add tomatoes and tomato puree. Puree beans with sauce in food processor until smooth and stir into chili. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Simmer chili at least 30 minutes to blend flavors or simmer for hours (3 or 4) for even better flavor. If it gets too thick add chicken broth to thin.

*If desired, do not puree beans before stirring in. I like to do this because it thickens the soup and give it that good chili flavor. Even if you dont like beans you will like them pureed in this

Marilyn

This the one we like best:

Beef Chili with Kidney Beans
Makes about 3 quarts, serving 8 to 10

Good choices for condiments include diced fresh tomatoes, diced avocado, sliced scallions, chopped red onion, chopped cilantro leaves, sour cream, and shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese. If you are a fan of spicy food, consider using a little more of the red pepper flakes or cayenne--or both. The flavor of the chili improves with age; if possible, make it a day or up to five days in advance and reheat before serving. Leftovers can be frozen for up to a month.

2 Tblsp oil
2 medium onions, chopped fine
1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch dice
6 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed thru' a garlic press (about 2 Tblsp)
1/4 cup chili powder
1 Tblsp ground cumin
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 pounds 85% lean ground beef
2 cans (15 oz. each) dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can (28 oz.) tomato puree
Salt
2 Limes, cut into wedges, if desired

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed nonreactive Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the onions, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, oregano, and cayenne and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and add half the beef. Cook, breaking up pieces with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink and just beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the remaining beef and cook, breaking up pieces with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato puree, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Remove the lid and continue to simmer 1 hour longer, stirring occasionally (if the chili begins to stick to the bottom of the pot, stir in 1/2 cup water and continue to simmer), until the beef is tender and the chili is dark, rich, and slightly thickened. Adjust the seasoning with additional salt. Serve with lime wedges and condiments (see note), if desired.

Recipe from Inside America's Test Kitchen

This is my favourite. I just use it as a guideline and adjust it depending on the variety of peppers I have available. I always serve it with homemade flour tortillas, topped with cheese and homemade salsa. And I prefer chili on the brothy side rather than thick. You can cook chili beans separately to add to the chili or cook them in the chili. Getting a craving for Chili.

Ann

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

==================
3 lbs. lean stew meat-beef, , ground coarse or in ½-inch cubes
1 lb. pork loin, ground coarse or cubed
2 tbsp. pure lard or shortening
3 large yellow onions, chopped fine
2 stalks of celery chopped
2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. ground cumin
7 cloves garlic
1 to 3 Tablespoons( or more to taste) of ground chilis. Use a variety of different ones, i.e Chiles pasillas, equines, chile anchos, dried New Mexico Chilis, etc..
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
2 tsp. salt
5 jalapenos, fresh, seeded
3 cans tomatoes,
1 can beer (Mexican if you have it)
l-oz. square unsweetened chocolate (Or Mexican chocolate)
2 cups Beef Broth
Dried Pinto, black beans or kidney beans

or canned.
. . Brown meat in fat until no longer pink. Add onions and and celery and
cook until clear. Combine in
food processor or blender the cumin, garlic, and all of the different
chilies., Tabasco, salt, jalapenos, and I can of tomatoes. Blend and
set
aside to steep. Add this mixture to the meat along with the two cans of
tomatoes, the beer, broth and chocolate. Turn fire down real low and
simmer
least 2 hours. If using dried beans add them now. Stir occasionally to
keep it from
sticking. If the meat you have used is lean, you will probably have no
fat
to skim off, but if there is fat floating on the top, skim. Once the
chili
has cooled, you can remove any congealed fat. This keeps well and
freezes well.

TEx-Mex Cookbook

Annie and Glenda, Thanks for the recipes. I think I'll make some this weekend. My son is looking forward to it.

Tracey

My kids devour a beer based chili like AnnT's. If you can get it, try using Muir Glen Fire roasted tomatoes.

Inspired by the talk about white chili on this thread I decided to give it a try. I used ground chicken and made it sort of like I do red chili. I used chicken broth for the base and I added roasted, chopped pablano peppers for a little heat. I also pureed a can of cannellini beans to give it some body and simmered it for about 1 1/2 hours.

When we tasted the soup it just tasted like something was missing. Right when I was ready to throw it out I thought of some leftover black bean salsa that I had in the frig. That certainly did the trick...that is what was missing. After the addition of the salsa we loved it!

Black and White Chili:
{{gwi:2044727}}
Marilyn

What was miussing was garlic and some cilantro....
Linda C

I agree Chili needs salsa. It is the way that I have always serve mine whether a regular chili or a white chili. Like Linda mentioned I think the extra garlic and the cilantro in the salsa really give chili that extra kick.

Ann

I don't put garlic in my chili. Basically I just brown up some ground beef & onion, blanch some celery, add the beef & onion to that. Then add a can of diced tomatoes, a large can of tomato sauce, a couple cans of black beans, some chilies if I have them, some cumin, chili powder and a pepper blend called "Hot Shots" to taste.

I do have a recipe for black bean chili that I found a while back on allrecipes.com and I use occasionally. It's really good, too.

Fantastic Black Bean Chili

INGREDIENTS:
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey
3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, undrained
1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

DIRECTIONS:
In a large heavy pot over medium heat, cook onion and garlic until onions are translucent. Introduce turkey and cook, stirring, until meat is brown. Stir in beans, tomatoes, chili powder, oregano, basil and vinegar. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 60 minutes or more, until flavors are well blended.

Linda

Linda, the garlic and cilantro were not missing, I used:

ground chicken
minced red onion
cloves garlic; minced
cilantro
cumin
roasted pablanos
salt and fresh ground pepper
chicken broth
pureed cannellini beans

and then served it with the salsa:

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

15 oz. can black beans; rinse and drain
1 1/2 cup frozen corn; thawed
1 small onion; chopped
1 Roma tomato; seeded and chopped
juice from 1/2 fresh lime
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons southwest or Cajun seasoning
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Combine ingredients at least 1/2 hour before serving with tortilla chips or on a salad.

Marilyn

I kind of made this the other day. I wanted white chili but my son didn't. He wanted a chicken chili with tomatoes. He doesn't eat ground beef.

I did it completely on the stovetop and made my own cornbread in the oven. I would have tried the chipolte crema but it was a last minute recipe. I didn't make Emerils seasoning either. I seasoned the chicken with the spices used in it though. I also cut down on the cayenne since my children would be eating it.It doesn't make a lot of chili but enough for a meal. I only had one small bowl leftover.

I have to say I prefer this to regular chili with ground beef.

Chicken Chili with Cornbread Topping and Chipotle Crema
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2003

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Yield: 6 servings
User Rating: 5 Stars

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed
Essence, recipe follows
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
2 tablespoons minced jalapeno peppers
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 cup corn kernels
1 (15-ounce) can chopped tomatoes and their juices
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Cornbread topping, recipe follows
1 cup grated cheddar cheese, for topping
Chopped green onions, garnish
Chipotle Crema, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Season the chicken with Essence on all sides.

In a large cast iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to the pan and when hot, add the onions, bell peppers and jalapeno. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, bay leaf, salt, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the corn and cook until starting to color and pop, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices and the stock, and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring until thickened, 7 to 10 minutes. Return the chicken to the pot and cook until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the cilantro and adjust the seasoning, to taste. Spoon the cornmeal batter over the chicken mixture, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the sides.

Bake until golden brown, 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cheese on top. Return to the oven until melted, 2 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Garnish with the chopped green onions and drizzle with the crema. Serve hot.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

Cornmeal Topping:
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons bacon grease or vegetable oil

In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a small bowl, beat together the buttermilk, egg and bacon grease. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until just blended, being careful not to overmix. Use as a topping for the Chicken Chili.

Chipotle Crema:
1 cup half and half
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sour cream
4 teaspoons chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, or less to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, mix together the half-and-half, cream, and sour cream. Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours to develop.

In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine the cream mixture with the peppers, adobo sauce, and salt. Process on high speed until smooth. Serve, or keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Yield: 2 cups

This is my favorite. Pinto beans are the best for chili. I serve them on the side, and if people want to put them IN their chili, they can do it that way, but I think it tastes better if it is cooked without them. You can use vegetable oil instead of the suet, as suet is hard to find.

Jailhouse Chili

1/2 lb. beef suet, ground
2 lbs. beef round steak, cut in small cubes
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
3 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablesooon cumin seed, crushed
salt and pepper to taste

2 cups pinto beans
2 Tablespooons bacon fat

Put the suet, meat and all the seasonings in a large heavy pan. Fry until suet is rendered and meat is light brown. Add 3 cups of water. Cover and simmer 3 - 4 hours.
Soak the beans overnight. Drain and add fresh water to cover them by an inch. Add the bacon fat and cook until soft but not mushy. Add beans to chili just before serving, or serve them on the side. 6 - 8 servings

I'm posting this recipe which I made on Sunday because Ken asked me too :-) He really liked it a lot but I like my other recipe better. This one is really quite flavorful and might appeal to some of you. There's a recipe on the website which I plan to try soon for sausage stuffed french loaf, sounds good.

Silver Palate Chili For a Crowd

When choosing chopped meat for chili, you'll find that beef chuck adds great flavor. And you never can have too many spices. Look for dark-red kidney beans. Lemon juice brightens all the tastes!

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound yellow onions, coarsely chopped
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
4 pounds beef chuck, ground
1 can (12 ounces) tomato paste
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/3 cup ground cumin
1/2 cup chili powder
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons salt, or to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
3 cans (28 ounces each) Italian plum tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 cans (16 ounces each) dark-red kidney beans, drained
2 cans (5 1/2 ounces each) pitted black olives, drained

1. Heat the olive oil in a very large pot. Add the onions and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 15 minutes. Add the sausage meat and ground chuck; cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the meats are well browned. Spoon off any excess fat and discard.

2. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, cumin, chili powder, mustard, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes, wine, lemon juice, dill, parsley and kidney beans. Stir well and simmer, uncovered, for another 15 minutes.

3. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add olives; simmer for 5 minutes more to heat through. Serve immediately.

Serves 20. Per serving: 260 calories, 19g carbohydrate, 26g protein, 10g fat, 55mg cholesterol.

ANCHO CHILI( the ancho chili powder makes it)
Mild chili:

1 1/2 LB of Ground beef
1/2 cup diced Celery
1/2 cup diced Green Peppers
1 cup or diced onions
1 (29 oz) can of whole tomatoes (crushed with hands)
1 TBL tomato paste
2 cups of tomato juice
1 TBL sugar
1 tsp cumin
4 TSP chili powder
3 TSP Ancho chili powder
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
2 (14 oz) cans of mild chili ready beans

Brown beef, drain fat, and put into dutch oven. Soften peppers,celery, and onions in some oil, when soften, add the tomato paste and cook another minute or two, add to pot. Add all remaining ingredients, except beans and simmer for two hours. Add beans the last half hour of cooking. You can also do this recipe in a crockpot too, but add the beans at the start, and cook on low about six hours.
PHIL

EASY CHILI:

2 POUNDS LEAN GROUND BEEF OR GROUND CHUCK BROWNED WITH ONIONS SALT AND PEPPER. JUST AS IT GETS CLOSE TO DONE ADD HOT SAUCE TO TASTE ALONG WITH CHILI POWDER TO TASTE. DRAIN ANY GREASE THAT REMAINS. ADD TO POT WITH LARGE CAN OF TOMATOE JUICE, DICED CHILI READY TOMATOES, WE USE TWO CANS AND ONE OR TWO CANS OF BROOKS CHILI HOT BEANS. BRING ALL TO A BOIL THEN REDUCE HEAT AND SIMMER FOR AWHILE. GOOD IMMEDIATLY, BUT BETTER THE NEXT DAY OR TWO.

Although I've lived in Texas for most of my live, I still like my version of chili including kidney beans which is a no-no in Texas chili.

YANKEE CHILI SOUP

1 ½ to 2 pounds ground beef or ground pork or ground veal or a mixture of one, two or all
(I like to use about 1 pound of ground beef and 1 pound of ground pork)
1 whole sweet yellow onion coarsely chopped
4 to 6 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 large cans chopped tomatoes
1 or 2 cans Rotel tomatoes & green chilies
2 cans red kidney beans (drained)
1 large jar of Spicy V-8 juice
¼ cup cumin
¼ cup chili powder
1 whole jalapeno or can use any dried hot pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, either flakes or ground
Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
Olive Oil

Heat olive oil in a large pot and put in the yellow onion and cook till tender, then add the garlic and cook for just a few minutes so it wont turn brown and burn. Put this onion-garlic mixture aside into a bowl. Then add the ground beef or ground veal to the pot and brown. After it has browned, add the onion-garlic mixture into the ground beef, stir and then add the remainder of the ingredients. Heat over a medium burner until it is hot and then turn down to medium low or low and continue cooking. The longer it cooks, the more flavor it has. In fact it is best if refrigerated overnight, and then reheated the next day either on the stove or in a crock-pot. Serve with crunchy French bread.

This will serve about 8 large bowls of chili.