Granny s Chili

1-26 Pictures

Prep the Beans (2014-01-01) The first step is to prep the beans. I started the garbanzo beans an hour before starting the chili. Granny acquired this wonderful copper bottom pot in 1951. Granny takes care of her stuff.

Start the Fire (2014-01-01) I am using a Stovetech Rocket Stove. I made a fire from twigs and will push these little branches into the chamber to keep the fire going. This is oak, I made the recipe using five of these sticks.

Fire in the Hole (2014-01-01) The fire shoots up through this chamber in the rocket stove creating a workable cooking flame.

Frying Bacon (2014-01-01) I like to start the process by cooking a few pieces of bacon. The grease adds flavor and I think it helps helps maintain the pan's seasoning.

Cook the Meat (2014-01-01) The first step is to cook the meat. When I went to the store, the extra lean meat was on sale and cost less than other varieties ... which is fine by me.

Add Spices (2014-01-01) I add chili powder and seasoning to the meat so that it will be flavorful.

Brown the Meat (2014-01-01) I cook the meat until it is good and brown

Remove Cooked Meat (2014-01-01) I remove the cooked meat and place it to the side. Since I am only using a pound of meat, I want it to stand out in the dish.

Start the Onions (2014-01-01) I will cook the onions until they start to brown. Since this is a small batch I am using one onion. Personally, I like the onion to stand out so I sliced the onions large large.

Mis En Place (2014-01-01) I am cooking the chili using a Mis en Place method. I sliced everything indoors and have them ready to throw in the pot one at a time.

Browning the Onions (2014-01-01) Brown the onions before adding the rest of the ingredients. Yes, that is snow next to the stove. It is just about 30 degrees out.

Add the Peppers (2014-01-01) I add in the peppers. In this case I have a huge green pepper. Red peppers are better but a red pepper costs a $1.79! I also am adding garlic and jalapeno pepers.

Add the Garbanzo (2014-01-01) I've been simmering the Garbanzo beans on the stove. They are good and hot so I will add them next (and turn off the stove).

Steaming Food (2014-01-01) The idea here is to add an ingredient then bring it up to steam then add the next.

Cans of Food (2014-01-01) I want beans of different texture. So I like to use a mix with some bagged beans and some canned beans.

Dutch Oven Cooking (2014-01-01) Dutch Ovens seem to be extremely forgiving. Using one is largely about piling in food.

Adding the Tomatos (2014-01-01) I usually add two cans of tomatoes, but I am making a smaller recipe today and added only one.

A Little More Seasoning (2014-01-01) Add some more seasoning to the veggies.

Chili Beans (2014-01-01) Add in the Chili Beans.

Add The Meat (2014-01-01) After cooking the beans a bit I add the meat back into the pot.

Cover and Let Simmer (2014-01-01) I cover the pot and let it simmer.

Final Ingredients (2014-01-01) I add the final ingredients. In this case I add a few chopped onions, olives and diced tofu. I like adding tofu simply to highlight the different forms that beans can take. In the summer, I like to add fresh green beans.

A Dutch Oven Full of Chili (2014-01-01) I now have a dutch oven half full of chili. This will be enough to feed ten people. A dutch oven full of chili could feed twenty.

Cover and Simmer (2014-01-01) I can cover the chili and let it simmer until the people show up. I really like this rocket stove set up. Using two small sticks will keep the chili simmering for a half hour.

Rocket Stove Cooking (2014-01-01) The Rocket Stove creates a small contained fire that lets you cook with a small amount of biomass ... in this case I am burning small branches.

Canned Chili (2014-01-01) The people didn't show up for the event. Oh well. I put the chili in these old peanut butter jars and will be eating high on the hog for the next couple of days.

1-26 Pictures

Granny's Dutch Oven Chili

Granny's Dutch Oven Chili is an inexpensive recipe that can feed a large number of people on the cheap. The goal of this chili is to have a variety of beans with different textures. The recipe uses a mix of canned beans and bagged beans. In summer, I toss in fresh green beans. Today, I decided to perform chili sacrilege and toss in some diced tofu. Tofu is a bean product. The goal of this dish is to show off bean products.

For a crowd of 20, I would use two pounds of meat. Two cans of diced tomatos, a cup of Garbanzo beans and five cans of store bought beans. I was making a smaller batch.

You can click through the pictures to see the creation of this dish.

Context: 0-Protophoto

Food (15 pictures) Additional pictures of food.