Chili's what's for dinner: An Introduction

Hello fellow Steemians! I'm just getting started here on Steemit, so bare with me as I learn the ins and outs of blogging, and the Steemit platform. I really hope you find my content and enjoy what you see!

I'll begin by saying that I intend to post or write about food in general, mostly the various dishes I experiment with at home, whether I whip something up on the fly, or follow an interesting recipe I found online or in a cookbook.

I'm an admittedly self-trained "home chef" (Read: untrained with no real professional experience lol) from Montreal, QC in Canada, but I absolutely adore exploring the infinitely expanding universe of the culinary arts and I'm extremely lucky enough to have an arsenal of kitchen tools which allow me to really get adventurous. In the 4-5 years that I have been playing in the kitchen I like to think I have at least made a steady progress since I began. I'll leave you all to judge ;)

I am always on the hunt for new and interesting recipes, and being a really picky eater, one of my goals in learning how to cook, is to step out of my comfort zone and try things I otherwise wouldn't even look at. Brussels Sprouts, amirite? lol

That being said, my first post will be simple; A bowl of chili I made in my Instant Pot in about an hour total.

I didn't follow one particular recipe here, this is more of a trial after researching various types of chili online, so I will approximate the amounts of ingredients I used, and I cook this recipe using the famous Instant Pot Duo Plus 60

And as with all of my posts, go right ahead and add more or less to your own tastes and let me know how it turns out! Most of what I cook is an experiment, and I would love to hear any suggestions you may have. It's all about learning :)

Now onto cooking!

This batch wasn't too spicy at all, and because I was short on time, I left out the beans, so please do feel free to add them if you'd like. I've put them on the list of ingredients just in case.

TIP: If you decide to add beans, remember to soak them over night, the night before you plan to make your chili!

2lb lean ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 medium carrots, diced
14 oz can of diced tomatoes
3-4 pinches ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons beef broth
6 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 teaspoons cumin
1 Cup dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight in enough water to cover and 1 teaspoon of salt

Optional toppings:

1 Jalapeno Pepper, seeded and diced or sliced if you like an extra kick of heat. 2 Jalapenos if you really want to sweat :P
Chopped cilantro
Sour Cream
Shredded cheddar, pepper jack or Tex Mex cheese

Preparation:

Set your Instant Pot to Sauté mode, and let it heat up.

While it's heating dice all your veggies and set them aside.

Once the pot is heated, toss in the ground beef and brown. Once browned, remove the inner pot and drain off the fat.

Hit the Cancel button on the instant pot, replace the inner pot, and throw the beef back in, along with the can of diced tomatoes, diced veggies, and the rest of the spices.

Stir everything to mix together well, lock the lid in place, and make sure the valve is set to pressurize. Press the Meat/Stew button.

The meat/stew setting is a preset, and will take about 10-15 minutes to come to pressure, and 35 minutes to cook on high pressure, which has been the sweet spot for consistency with this recipe each time I prepare it.

Once the timer goes off, I like to let it sit for 10 minutes or so before carefully flipping the valve to venting position to release any remaining pressure.

PLEASE be careful not to put your hands or face in the way of the pressure release valve as the escaping steam can cause very serious burns. This chili is meant to warm up your belly, not melt your face off, so please do be careful!

Once the pressure indicator pin on the lid has dropped back down, remove the lid, and give your chili a stir. If you feel there is still too much liquid, you can turn the sauté function back on high (press sauté button twice) and simmer it for a few minutes to reduce the liquid and concentrate the flavors more.

Once it's at your desired consistency, ladle some chili into a bowl and top with your favorite toppings. I like a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese and sliced Jalapenos as you see in my photo above. Sometimes I'll throw some chopped cilantro on top as well, if I have it on hand.

Now all that's left is to eat, and enjoy!

Well, that's it for this post. If you give my recipe a try, chime in with a comment below and let me know what you thought along with any changes or substitutions you made. Maybe together we'll be able to figure out the ultimate Instant Pot chili!

As I always like to say in French here in Quebec, "On Mange Bien ce Soir!" ;)

Until next time Steemians!