California Chili

Total Time: 3 hrs 25 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 4 medium tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 tablespoons lard or 4 tablespoons bacon drippings
• 2 lbs round steaks, trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 1 lb lean lamb, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 5 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 cup pitted black olives, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded

Recipe

• 1 in a medium saucepan simmer the tomatoes, water, 1 large onion, celery, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper for 30 minutes covered and another 30 minutes uncovered. set aside.
• 2 in the meantime, in a large dutch oven over medium heat, saute the medium onion, green pepper, and garlic in the lard for 3-5 minutes. with a slotted spoon remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside.
• 3 add the meats to the dutch oven and brown over medium-high heat for 5-8 minutes. add more lard if necessary. add the flour to the browned meats, stirring well. simmer for 2 minutes.
• 4 return the vegetable mixture to the dutch oven with the meats. add the chili powder, bay leaves, 1 tbsp salt, brown sugar, oregano, and vinegar. add the tomato sauce. stir. cover and simmer over low heat for 2 hours. add more water if necessary (it should be thick).
• 5 add the olives and cheese and simmer covered for an additional 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• 6 remove bay leaves.
• 7 serve in bowls with finely chopped onions and more cheese if desired.
• 8 good with a tossed salad and corn bread.