This Culinary goddess has won a major award for her chili recipe. (I can’t help but think of one of my favorite scenes from A Christmas Story: “It’s a Major Award! I won!”

2 awards in fact!  Let me brag on meeeeeeeee for a minute:  I placed in the Roswell Chili Cook Off last spring and also won a Ford Owners competition a few months before that and took home, yes, A Major Award!

It’s tough to mess with perfection, but the weekend was winding down and JP and I started talking about coming up with a new chili recipe.  The weather is getting cooler and there’s nothing better than a pot of chili simmering on the stove on a Sunday afternoon.  He had a brilliant suggestion:  Chili Meets Jambalaya.

It’s Chili-laya, y’all!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chuck

1 pound ground sirloin

1 pound spicy ground sausage (like Jimmy Dean)

1 package of spicy smoke adouille sausage (I like Ragin’ Cajun brand) sliced

1 Tb Grade B Maple Syrup

1 Tb butter

1 Tb olive oil

1 can tomato sauce (15oz)

1 can drained kidney beans

1 can diced tomatoes

2 Tb brown sugar

1 Tb honey

2 cups Guinness beer

2 cups beef stock

2 jalapeños diced

1 poblano pepper diced

1 red bell pepper diced

1 habanero pepper diced (optional)

1 sweet onion chopped

2 garlic cloves chopped

2 celery ribs chopped

3 Tb chili powder

1 Tb coriander

1 Tb paprika

1 Tb onion powder

1 Tb garlic powder

1 Tb black pepper

1 Tb basil

1 tsp kosher salt

2 Tb fresh thyme

Chopped cilantro for garnish

Smoked Gouda (this cheese is the shiznittabam) shredded for garnish

Sliced avocado for garnish

Directions:

In a large, wide rimmed frying pan, saute ground chuck, ground sirloin and spicy ground sausage on medium heat until browned.  Do not drain. Put meat in a large soup pot and set aside. In the same frying pan, toss in 1 Tb butter and when butter gets bubbly, add the chopped andouille sausage and cook through.  When andouille is browned, add 1 Tb Grade B maple syrup and stir to coat.  Keep the heat on medium and let the syrup get caramelized on the sausage– try not to eat it all before you’re finished.  It’s soooooo good.  Add maple encrusted andouille to the rest of the meat.

Now, time to saute your veggies.  I use the same pan, just add about 1 Tb olive oil and saute onion, garlic, celery, and all of the peppers.  Be very careful when you’re chopping up the habanero and the jalapeños — get that hot stuff under your nails or in your eyeball and it’s not fun.  I sometimes put on kitchen gloves– or just toss them in the food processor and pulse for a few seconds.  Then scoop them into the mix.  No need to brown the veggies– just soften them in the pan on medium heat for about 10 minutes.  Add veggie mix to your pile ‘o meat.

Next, add in all the canned yummies.  The tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, the beans, the beer and the stock, sugar, honey, and all those spices.  Mix it all together and keep on a low simmer for 1-2 hours (if you can wait that long!)

Spoon it out and top with chopped cilantro, smoked gouda and sliced avocado.  Serve with Jalapeño Cornbread for maximum Chili-laya satisfaction.

It might be the best chili that has never won a Major Award….YET!