Nightshade Free Chili

Alright I can hear the purists yelling already that you can’t actually have chili without tomatoes and peppers, well technically you are correct.  Chili goes back to the Aztecs and the pre-Columbian Americas and it did have peppers, tomatoes, and meat essentially a stew–it technically is still a stew.

Now the problem is I have an odd allergy: I can’t have capsaicin as I break out in hives.  Capsaicin is found in most Nightshades (tomatoes, bell peppers, chili peppers, eggplant, etc) so chili is a pain in the everywhere!  Except now.

What I have recreated is probably closer to the beef and beans you would have found on a cattle drive as it was highly unlikely you’d have had tomatoes in the chuck wagon, and all of your ingredients would have been dried to start.  We fortunately have modern shortcuts; like canned ingredients and an evenly heated slow cooker as opposed to a Dutch oven covered in hot coals.  Now with a little history out of the way…

1 28 oz can of beef (I use Keystone)

1 15 oz can of kidney beans rinsed first–most are packed with sugar or corn-syrup for some reason

1 15 oz can of navy beans

1 15 oz can of black beans

1 medium onion sort of quartered

5 tsp Better than Bullion soup base – beef variety

2 tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp ground garlic

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 c red wine (Seriously just something you like, I actually use a box wine for cooking)

Separate the beef, watching for gristle and large chunks of fat.  Save the liquid!

Heat the liquid from the beef, add the soup base to dissolve.

Add beef, rinsed kidney beans, entire contents of the other beans, onion, spices, and wine to slow cooker.

Add the beef stock.  Mix together.

Cook on low 5 or 6 hours, stir sometimes.

That’s it!

In the words of my childhood mentor “Bon appétit”