Southern Caramelized Chili & Cornbread

With an ice storm sweeping across the country for a stretch of 2000 miles, preparation for the storm included making a really good pot of chili even if we were only predicted to get cold rain. Hmmm, what would make chili superb? Roasted, caramelized vegetables including Roma tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, sweet peppers, and a whole bulb of garlic fit the bill to elevate this pot of chili! Don’t worry about the jalapenos making the chili too hot; when the seeds are removed and the jalapenos are roasted, most of the heat is removed. Caramelized chili, paired with with real homemade cornbread made with freshly tendered lard and cooked on the stop in a cast iron skillet before baking, makes this meal a winner for a cold, dreary day! If you don't have freshly tendered lard, you may use duck fat or beef tallow. Bonus, this dish is very easy to make. Start with roasting the veggies, mixing up the chili, and finish with cooking the cornbread.

Caramelized Chili

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef

3 cans diced tomatoes or frozen tomatoes

2 cans kidney beans

1 can tomato paste

2 packs of chili seasonings ( I prefer hot)

Roasted caramelized vegetables:

4-5 Roma Tomatoes

1 large onion

6 sweet peppers

6 jalapenos

1 bulb garlic

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon oregano

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to ROAST at 400 degrees.

2. Slice and chop tomatoes, sweet peppers, jalapenos (seeds removed), and onion into small chunks (1/2-1"chunks). Spread on cookie sheet covered with silicone or parchment.

3. Wrap garlic bulb in aluminum foil and place on cookie sheet with vegetables.

4. Brush vegetables with olive oil.

5. Sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, black pepper, white pepper, red pepper, and oregano on vegetables.

   

6. Roast in oven for about an hour at 400 degrees until caramelized. (Stir vegetables half way through to caramelize on all sides.)

7. While the vegetables are roasting, brown ground beef in a large cast iron pot.

8. Add canned or frozen tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato paste, and packets of chili seasonings.

9. Simmer and stir often while the vegetables are roasting in the oven.

10. Remove vegetables from oven when caramelized. Unwrap garlic from aluminum foil, cut one end, and squeeze garlic into the pot of chili. Add caramelized vegetables to the ground beef mixture and simmer for 30 minutes.

Southern Cornbread with Lard

This Southern Cornbread made with homemade lard by Harvest Eating goes perfectly with chili. We love the crispy bottom and sides produced by cooking the batter in a cast iron skillet prior to baking cornbread in the oven. This recipe uses lard, duck fat, or beef tallow. (Note: Using shortening or butter will not produce the exquisite taste of this cornbread.)

Ingredients

5 btsp lard, melted in an 8 inch cast iron skillet. (You will use the skillet to cook the cornbread in the oven, also.)

2 cups medium grind cornmeal

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 cup buttermilk (You can make buttermilk by adding 1 1/2 tbsp white vinegar to whole milk and letting it set a few minutes while you mix dry ingredients.)

1 large egg

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. PREHEAT OVEN TO 500 DEGREES.

2. Mix dry ingredients with a mixer or a whisk (cornmeal, salt, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar).

3. Mix large egg with buttermilk

4. Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients with two minutes.

5. Add 2 tbsp melted lard to mixture.

6. Add the cornmeal batter to the skillet with the remaining melted lard, place on the stove over medium heat and cook 3-4 minutes or until you see a little color start appearing on the edges, at that point place the skillet in the preheated oven for exactly 13 minutes.

7. Let it cool 20 minutes.

8. Serve with butter along with a hot bowl of chili.

OPTIONAL- Add your favorite toppings: grated cheese, chopped onions, pickled jalapenos, crispy fried onions, etc.

We hope you enjoy this great chili and cornbread combination on your next cold weather day. It is sure to warm you on the coldest day!