Main Dish

Ragin’ Cajun Chili

Posted by dale on

When the weather starts to cool down, it becomes chili and soup season!  To kickstart this fall season, I made an old favorite of mine, a spin-off of Rachel Ray’s Ragin Cajun Chili.  This recipe is not for folks that don’t like a little heat and extreme flavor!

Her recipe calls for ground chicken, which is hard to find and it kind of tames down this recipe.  I substitute it for more flavorful ground Italian sausage.   Feel free to sub out other ground meat, such as turkey or beef.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: About 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 1/2 pound andouille sausage, chopped
  • 1 pound ground Italian sausage (hot or mild)
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
  • 2 ribs celery, chopped thinly
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 4 tablespoons hot sauce, such as Frank’s RedHot or Tabasco
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons cumin
  • 2 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes (28 ounces)
  • 1 can tomato sauce (15 ounces)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 bunches scallions, chopped
  • 1 large bag plain corn chips, such as Fritos brand

Preparation

Heat the EVOO in a large Dutch oven pot and cook the andouille sausage for about 2-3 minutes. Add the ground Italian sausage and pork in an even layer; do not overcrowd the pot. Break up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon and scrape up the bits at the bottom. Continue to cook until all the meat is super-duper brown (This is VERY important!  When you think it’s brown enough, cook it more! The meat should be caramelized and granular – almost burnt).

To the pot, add the celery, onion, green bell pepper and garlic; cook for 4-5 minutes or until the celery and onions are tender.

Add the hot sauce, thyme, chili powder, cumin, paprika and cayenne and continue cooking for another minute. Pour in the stock, crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce; bring to a bubble and turn down to a simmer.

To make the cooking process easier, its best to prep all the ingredients ahead of time.

Let cook for another 20 minutes, or until reduced.

Season the chili with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with some crushed corn chips and chopped scallions on top.  I also like a dollop of sour cream.