Beanless Chili
Ingredients
3 quarts (2.8 liters) good quality canned tomatoes;
5 lbs ground beef;
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil;
6 cloves garlic, minced;
1 onion, finely chopped;
5 celery stalks, chopped;
5 carrots, chopped;
4 cups button mushrooms, chopped;
3 bay leaves;
3 thyme sprigs;
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped;
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;
Preparation
- In a large skillet over a medium heat, cook the ground beef with some cooking fat if needed.
- In a very large saucepan over a medium heat, saute the garlic in olive oil. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the onion, celery, carrots and mushrooms to the saucepan. Stir well and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
- Add the canned tomatoes, followed by the cooked ground beef. Stir well.
- Drop in the bay leaves, thyme and parsley.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 4 hours or until thick, stirring occasionally.
- Adjust the seasoning by adding salt or pepper, if needed and remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.