The Best Chili Ever

The best chili ever, yeah, it's pretty cocky. But to be perfectly honest, it really WAS the best chili I've ever made and to be frank, it really WAS the best chili I've ever tasted. You want to challenge me? I always want to improve my cooking skills so if you have any tips, please, let me know! 

A warning for those under the age of 18; there is a lot of food porn going on in this post!! Keep reading at your own risk...

850 g of chuck beef

This chili takes about 20 minutes to prepare and about 2,5 hours to cook so make sure you don't start cooking at 10 pm on a Monday or you won't be eating until Tuesday!

The side dishes:

You need some guacamole, make it how you like it best, but there are a few key ingredients that you need to make it good; avocado, lemon, chili, garlic, salt and pepper. I also had coriander and a bit of sour cream in mine to give it a bit more flavor. 

You also need some salsa, sour cream and lime wedges on the side.

The What:

about 850 g of chuck beef (högrev for you Swedes)

5 garlic cloves

2 piri piri chili (or Spanish pepper if you're sensitive to spicy food)

2 pinches of salt

2 tbsp of ground cumin

2 tbsp of ground coriander

2 tbsp chili flakes (again, use less if you don't want it very spicy)

2 tbsp of oregano

1 tbsp honey

1 bottle (ca 33 cl) of lager or pale ale

2 tbsp of concentrated beef stock

butter to sear the meat in

The How:

Cut the meat into smaller pieces. 

Peel and chop the garlic as well as the chili. Take out the seeds if you want it less spicy.

Sear the meat in butter in a large pan until it has a nice color without being burnt. 

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. 

Let simmer with the lid to the pan on, for about 2,5 hours. Make sure you stir it during this time and add extra liquid (more beer or just water) if needed. You can also use a fork to pull the meat every now and then, just like you did when you tried my Pulled Chicken!

Serve the chili in a blanched savoy cabbage leaf (or in a tortilla bread if you wish), don't be stingy with the sauces!

It tasted so amazing, I may have to make it a reoccuring dish at My Place!

Pulled Chicken

Pulled pork is still one of the fashionable dishes to make at the moment and for a good reason; the meat is tender, juicy and soft. The only bummer, it takes forever to make. Pulled chicken is therefore the perfect choice for the fashionable foodie who wants to impress the mates with the latest but who also has a full time job to take into consideration. It's quick and easy to make, looks complicated and tastes divine. I got the recipe from one of my favorite food magazines, Allt om Mat (check it out!) and you can click on the link above to get the recipe in Swedish but for all you English speaking foodies, here is a more understandable version.

The What

1 whole pre-grilled chicken

1 large red onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 red chili

2 tbsp olive oil

1 bottle of smokey BBQ-sauce (ca 500g)

Serve With

2 avocados

1 box of cherry tomatoes

natural Greek yogurt

lime

coriander

sour dough bread

The How

Tear or "pull" the chicken meat into strips. 

Peel and chop the onion, garlic and chili finely and fry in oil without burning, for about 1-2 minutes. 

Add the chicken as well as the bottle of BBQ-sauce. Heat up and add salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve with the avocados, tomatoes, coriander and Greek yogurt on sour dough bread. 

I also added my caramelized red onion, super easy and quick to make and adds a lot of flavor!

The What

2 red onions, sliced

2-3 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

1 tsp sugar

salt

black pepper

butter

The How

Peel and slice the onion in thin slices. Fry them soft and somewhat see through in butter without searing. Add the vinegar and sugar, add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat and let it cool before serving. 

We drank a bottle of Côtes-du-Rhône Reserve (only 71 SEK at Systemboalget) which was light and balanced the smokey BBQ flavor perfectly. Not bad considering the price!

What's your favorite Friday night dinner?