Award Winning Nacho Chili Recipes

AWARD WINNING CHILI

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium-low heat, combine tomatoes, tomato paste, carrot, onion, celery, wine, pepper flakes, bell peppers and steak sauce.
• While tomato mixture is simmering, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towels. Cook beef in bacon drippings until brown; drain. Stir chili seasoning into ground beef.
• Stir seasoned beef, cumin and bacon into tomato mixture. Continue to simmer until vegetables are tender and flavors are well blended.
• Stir in beans, cilantro and parsley. Heat through and serve.

CHILI NACHOS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• On an ovensafe plate, arrange some of the chips in a single layer, overlapping them slightly. Sprinkle on a good layer of cheese, then add a layer of the chili, then another round of chips, cheese and chili. Keep going until you feel you've successfully built Mount St. Nacho!
• Put the plate in the oven and heat the nachos until the cheese is totally melted, 4 to 5 minutes. Then dive right in and devour them.
• In a large, heavy pot, brown the ground beef with the garlic over medium heat until the beef is totally cooked, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain off most of the excess fat, leaving a little behind for moisture and flavor. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and cayenne. Stir together well, cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally; if the liquid level seems low, add up to 1 cup water to keep it from burning.
• After an hour, stir in the kidney and pinto beans. In a small bowl, combine the masa harina with 1/2 cup water and stir together with a fork until it's smooth. Pour the masa mixture into the chili. Stir together well, then taste the chili and adjust the seasonings. Simmer the chili for another 10 minutes to thicken, then turn off the heat and let it cool.
• Fill freezer bags with 2-cup portions and freeze them flat for easy stacking (or freeze in other freezer-safe containers).

NACHO CHEESY CHILI

Steps:

• Heat a dutch oven over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Cook the onions for about 2 minutes or until they just begin to soften. Add the ground beef, 1 1/4 teaspoons of kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Cook until brown then drain. To the browned meat, add the chili seasoning, garlic, and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the V8 Juice, chili beans, can of tomatoes, crushed Doritos, and any of the optional ingredients listed above. Do NOT add the cheeses yet. Stir, cover, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to maintain a very gentle simmer (around medium-low). Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the cheeses and stir to combine. Allow the cheese to melt for about a minute then stir again. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper as needed. It is highly likely you will need more salt. I add anywhere from 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of additional kosher salt (half that amount for table salt) but I'll let you decide how much to add. The chili should be rich and thick and the ground beef should be very tender. If it is too thick add a little water or V8 Juice.
• To serve, ladle some chili into a bowl and top with some additional Doritos and freshly grated cheddar cheese.
• * Chili Seasoning and chili powder are technically different things. Popular brands of chili seasoning include Williams and McCormick. Chili seasoning contains chili powder as the primary ingredient but also includes things like onion powder, garlic powder, etc. If you can't find chili seasoning, no biggie. Use chili powder instead.
• ** Why V8 Juice? V8 juice is made up of several pureed veggies including tomatoes, carrots, celery, and more. Plain tomato juice or canned tomato sauce does not have the same depth of flavor.
• *** To make 1/3 cup of finely crushed Doritos, measure out 1 cup of Doritos - breaking each Dorito into a few pieces so they lay properly in the cup. If you have some Doritos left in the bottom of the bag that are already in small pieces, this is a great use for them. Dump the cup of Doritos into a resealable bag and use a rolling pin to finely crush the chips. After they are finely crushed, you'll have about 1/3 cup.
• **** You really need to use freshly grated cheese in this instead of the stuff that comes pre-shredded. Pre-shredded cheeses contains stabilizers that can sometimes impede melting. For this reason, I highly recommend that you use freshly grated in this recipe.

SKILLET CHILI NACHOS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with rack in upper third.
• Spread 5 cups chips in a 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron). Top with 1 cup chili, then half the beans and 1 cup cheese. Layer with remaining 5 cups chips, 1 cup chili, remaining beans, and 1 cup cheese.
• Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Top with radishes, jalapenos, and cilantro; serve with sour cream, salsa, and avocado.

AWARD WINNING NACHO CHILI

Steps:

• Brown the chorizo and ground beef in a little olive oil. Add remaining ingredients and allow to simmer for an hour. Serve with all garnishes over a bowlful of tortilla chips.