Meaty Merlot Chili

As the weather has been getting rainier and colder, we began wondering what sort of soup we might be able to create for a cozy night in. In the past we have experimented with chowders, tomato and chicken broth based soups, but have not fully explored the possibilities of Chili. Because of this, we decided it would be fun to gather ingredients we thought would be tasty and figure out a way to throw them together to create our very own unique Chili recipe. This endeavor proved to be much more successful than our last.

Meaty Merlot Chili

Ingredients:

1 ¼ lbs ground beef sirloin

5 hot Italian sausages, ground or chopped

4 tbsp butter

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 large red onion, chopped

4-6 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped

½ jalepeño, finely diced

1 green pepper, chopped

1¾ cup Merlot wine

6 oz (1/2 bottle) beer (IPA strongly recommended)

1 can tomato paste

1 large can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped

1 12 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 12 oz can kidney beans, drained

1 12 oz can black beans, drained

½-1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese to taste

4 tsp cumin

2-4 tsp chili powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt butter in a large pot, and then add onions and garlic, cooking over medium heat. Cook onions 5-7 minutes. Add ground beef and sausage and cook until juices run clear and the meat is nearly done. Add green pepper and jalepeño, cooking for 2 minutes. Add cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Stir in merlot and half of the beer, simmering for 4 minutes. Mix in beans and all of the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer all ingredients for 15 minutes and then add the last half of the beer and cook, covered, for another 10 minutes. Stir in most of the cheese. Remove from heat and serve in bowls with a sprinkle of cheese on top.

...the result...

A delicious Meaty Merlot Chili! And it lasted us several days, through several meals. This recipe is definitely big enough for a hearty family dinner! Just top with grated cheddar and serve with fresh cornbread. Yum!