Sausage Chili

One Sunday, I invited folks over for dinner and then realized I hadn’t gone grocery shopping, so I scraped around to see what I had. I had Italian sausage and canned beans and apple cider, so I found a sausage chili recipe that was surprisingly good.

I got this recipe from www.foodnetwork.com. I've included my substitutions as notes or in parentheses.

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 lb Andouille, or other spicy, smoked link sausage, cut into 1/2 - inch pieces NOTE: I used ground Italian sausage instead, and it worked great.

2 Cups chopped yellow onions

1 Tbsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp Essence, recipe follows NOTE: I accidentally used the whole recipe of Essence, and it was tasty.

2 tsp ground cumin

1 bottle dark beer (12 - ounce) NOTE: I used apple cider instead of beer

1 Can whole tomatoes, crushed, and their juices (28 - ounce)

3 Tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp sugar

6 Cups cooked red kidney beans, drained and rinsed NOTE: I used canned beans

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Cup grated cheddar cheese, garnish

1 Cup finely chopped green onions, garnish

Essence recipe

2 1/2 Tbsp paprika

2 Tbsp salt

2 Tbsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp black pepper

1 Tbsp onion powder

1 Tbsp cayenne pepper (I probably used a bit less.)

1 Tbsp dried leaf oregano (use half that if ground)

1 Tbsp dried thyme (use half that if ground)

1. In a large heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, chili powder, Essence, and cumin and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 4 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the beer and cook until the foam subsides, about 1 minute. NOTE: deglazing simply means that you pour the liquid in and stir to pick up the bits of cooked meat and veggies on the bottom of the pan.
2. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, and kidney beans to the pot. Stir well and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the chili from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

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