White Chili by Tom

White Chili by Tom

A major winter storm hit our area yesterday and today dumping a foot of the white stuff and causing us to cancel a trip to New York City.  So with a new foot of snow on the ground, what a perfect time to make a cold weather dish like chili.  But rather than a traditional tomato-based chili, I decided a white (like snow - get it?) chili would taste good.  I adapted a recipe that my mother made to fit some of the ingredients we had in our freezer and cabinets.

The Ingredients

1 lb boneless pork country style ribs - cut into 1" pieces (chicken can be substituted)
2 - 15.5 ounce cans of white beans (I used butter beans and cannellini beans)
1 sweet medium onion - chopped
1 yellow pepper - chopped
2 tablespoons of chopped garlic
4.5 ounce can of chopped green chiles
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
15 ounce can (~2 cups) low sodium chicken broth
bottle of good beer (less a couple of swigs to taste while cooking)
black pepper to taste
salt to taste

After the meat and vegetables are all cut up, heat the olive oil in a heavy soup pot.  (I used the same pot for browning the meat, cooking the vegetables, and simmering the chili.)  Once the oil is hot, brown the meat.  This should take about 5 minutes.  Remove the meat and put the chopped onions and peppers into the hot soup pot.  If the pot is dry, add a little more olive oil.  Saute the vegetables until they are softened, about 7-8 minutes.  Add the meat back into the pot.

Stir in the garlic, the green chiles and the dry spices (cumin, oregano, cloves, cayenne pepper) and saute for another 2 minutes.

Now add the chicken broth, the beer and the beans.  Stir the entire mixture well and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, cover and turn the heat way down and simmer for at least an hour to insure the meat is tender.  Cooking this chili longer on very low heat is not a problem.  Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

We did not do this, but you can garnish with white grated Monterrey jack cheese and sour cream, if you would like.

This is an easy winter day recipe.

            ----Tom