Our First Chilli: A Love Story

Nothing, and I mean nothing, brings people together more than food. The act of cooking a delicious meal and sitting down at a table to enjoy it with friends and family, is sacred and a showcase of love. This is what unites my husband and I.

Our love for food starts at completely different places but ends right here, together. You’ve seen him mentioned in my tweets and posts as M, but his actual name is Brian Murray. When I came to work on Martha’s Vineyard, he had already been here for 6 years working on the line, creating food that was out of this world. A man of a few words (unlike myself!), he can make a meal out of nothing and have you craving for seconds. His knowledge is all from experience, mine started with culinary school. Our goal is one – make good food, taste new foods, create.

The first food festival we attended was the Martha’s Vineyard Chili Festival last January 2011, after a month of being married.Smack in  the middle of January, it’s the one event during the winter and the island gets thousands of visitors just that week!

When we received the 8 Quart Covered Stock Pot from Anolon’s Nouvelle Copper Collection, we knew chili HAD to be made! As a family of two, you might think an 8 quart pot is an extremely large pot to have, but during the winter we like to make large batches of stews, homemade stocks, and soups to later freeze into individual portions for quick meals. And I can imagine that during the summer it’d be great to boil corn and lobsters, even layer on a small clambake inside!

What did we love about this stock pot? Honestly, what didn’t we love?! The copper bottom promotes even heat distribution and not only evenly but rapidly! The non-stick surface was great when making this chili and we realized that nothing, ever, stuck to the bottom of the pot. The handles are perfectly sized for this large pot and make for easy handling.  We simmered the chili, covered, for 45 minutes, and the cover was the right size to make a tight seal, keeping in all that moisture we wanted.

Here’s a little more from the Anolon website about this precious pot:

This Anolon® Nouvelle Copper pot features durable, hard anodized construction crafted with copper to deliver optimum heat control and perfect cooking performance. The double full cap base features a copper core, enveloped between aluminum, completed with a magnetized stainless steel base. The copper and aluminum provide excellent heat conduction, and the stainless steel base makes this cookware suitable for all cooktops, including induction. Restaurant tested Autograph® 2 nonstick delivers enduring food release and easy cleaning, and is metal utensil safe. The generously appointed cast stainless steel handles are attached to the body using innovative flush-rivet technology, making clean up quick and easy. The elegant stainless steel lid fits securely, locking in flavor and nutrients.

Be sure to like Anolon on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and check out their gorgeous Pinterest boards for recipe ideas, giveaways, and more!

Our First Chilli: A Love Story/ Murray's Chili

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 pounds ground beef 80/20
• 1 medium white onion diced
• 1 sweet red bell pepper seeded and diced
• 2 small jalapenos seeded and diced
• 1 Scotch Bonnet or any hot pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 can 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes
• 3 cups water or 3 cups Guinness beer
• 1 teaspoon dark chili powder
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1-2 cans red beans
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Heat stock pot over medium high heat and add beef. Cook until no red shows, stirring with a wooden spoon.
• Once meat is cooked, strain to remove excess fat. Drain and reserve.
• In the meantime, saute the onion, peppers and garlic until translucent. Add diced tomatoes and water.
• Season with chili powder, turmeric, and cumin. Add tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes.
• Return meat to pot and fold together with peppers and onion. Simmer covered for 45 minutes to an hour over low heat. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, add drained beans.
• Season with salt and pepper and serve with biscuits or cornbread.

Notes

M's Note: Freeze chili into individual portions and save for a rainy day or a day when you don't want to cook. It's the perfect meal to have on hand and reheats perfectly either on the stove top or the microwave. Top with shredded cheese for added flavor!

Disclaimer: We received this item free of charge through the Virtual Potluck group, with no other compensation. All opinions are honest and based on our experience with the product and how well it performed.