Souper Bowl Sunday

Today is officially the unofficial day for eating buffalo wings, 25-foot long subs, pizza, potato skins, nachos, and chili. All at once. I love how simply watching professional athletes somehow excuses force feeding ourselves 80,000 calories of cheesy goodness. Sign me up.

I posted a chili recipe recently that I thought was going to be the delicious porkiness that I had over Thanksgiving weekend, until I made it and realized I had it all wrong. Well, I have the actual recipe now (Thanks, Eva!) just in time for watching highlarious Super Bowl commercials and a special episode of Glee. Oh, and for watching all of those dudes running around in tight black, gold, green, and white pants. Whatever.

This chili doesn't pretend to be healthy. It's not made with turkey sausages or white beans. It's not chock full of vegetables. It's chock full of pork. That's it. Eat it and weep.



Sausage Chili
(Adapted from Laurent Tourondel's Corn and Sausage Chili)

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 pounds sweet or hot Italian pork sausages (about 12 links), casings removed
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 bay leaf
Pinch cayenne
1 can (28-ounces) whole peeled tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil and cook the onion, pepper, and garlic over medium-low heat until they are soft but not browned, about 8 minutes.

2. In a large pot over medium heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and cook the sausage, stirring occasionally and breaking up with a wooden spoon, until it is cooked through and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Spoon off and discard any excess fat that accumulates. Stir in the cooked vegetables, chili powder, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, and cayenne. Cook for 1 minute.

3 . In a blender or food processor, puree the tomatoes with their juices (do not strain) until smooth. Add the pureed tomatoes and chicken stock to the pot. Add the Tabasco and season with salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, until thickened. Remove the bay leaf and serve with warm corn bread, chopped jalapeno, shredded cheddar, and sour cream. Serves 6-ish.