Montego’s Chili

My coworker was the inspiration for this recipe. She and her husband are dedicated supporters of my special seasoning. One day she was telling me how the night before they had made some chili with it. I was thinking she added it to another chili seasoning pack. I was wrong — she said she used just the 1 ounce pack of special seasoning.

That got me creating. I knew I needed to make a chili that was easy and quick, but respected by the chili masters of the world. Once I created the final dish I let my biggest critics give me their opinion, and everyone said, “that’s it.” So here you go. Oh, and the ketchup? That was my son’s idea — and it’s what got the “that’s it” approval.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground chuck or ground turkey
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 (14 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 (1 ounce) packages Montego’s Special Seasoning — add another pack for extra spice
• 1 (14 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup water
• Oil for sautéing

Directions

1. Cook the ground meat. Midway through, mix in half of one package of Montego’s Special Seasoning and the 2 tablespoons of chili powder. If the grease from the meat is not your thing, drain it before adding the seasoning.
2. Dice the onion and the pepper. In your choice of oil, start to caramelize the onion, adding the pepper midway through. Once the onion has caramelized, stir in the other half of the package of Montego’s Special Seasoning, then add the onion and pepper to your ground meat.
3. Stir it all together and turn the heat to medium (high if you are in a rush). Add the kidney beans and stir them through the meat so the two come together in a loving way.
4. Add the can of stewed tomatoes and stir it completely through the chili. Let the tomatoes get to know the dish, then add the last 1 ounce package of Montego’s Special Seasoning.
5. Add the water and stir all the way through. If you like your chili thick, make a thickening and add it now.
6. Take a test taste. When it is to your liking, cover and simmer for 1–2 hours so it comes together in a melody of excitement for your taste buds. Check now and then to make sure it’s not too high and boiling away.
7. Bowl it up, top it to your liking and enjoy.

Watch it come together