Chili for 20: A Classic Christmas Party Food

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The Christmas Party Food always includes some hot chili for cold nights. Having 20 guests or more takes some large cooking vessels. Here is the recipe for the Christmas Party Food – Chili for 20! (or more)

Recipe for Chili for 20;

8lb ground beef;

8 large onions, coarsely chopped;

16 oz mushrooms, coarsely chopped

I head celery, coarsely chopped

6 cans chopped tomatoes

6 can red kidney beans

2 cups red wine

2 cups tomato ketchup

Chili seasoning – I grew Ghost peppers this year so 2 teaspoons were sufficient for this large amount. Other chilies are not as hot so start with a teaspoon or 2 and taste every 15 minutes until it is hot enough for you. I tend toward a low to moderate heat factor and add some extra chili powder (regular habanero or other varieties that are not as hot as the ghost pepper) to the side for those who want to make it hotter.

Before you start, it is necessary to figure out what you are going to cook your chili for 20 in. I have a large electric roasting pan that big stores sell for roasting turkeys at Christmas but it does not sit on the stove, so I used my turkey roaster from Le Creuset for frying then transferred to the electric cooker.

Party sized cooking

Cooking for a party needs plenty of large cooking dishes

1: Fry the onions in oil until soft but not brown – transfer to roaster;

2: Fry the meat in oil until browned – transfer to roaster – note that some meats have more fat content than others. I took a turkey basting gadget to syphon off and remove fat as the meat cooked.

3: Add the chopped celery and mushroom directly to the roaster;

4: Add the tomatoes to the roaster;

5: Add Ketchup and wine to the roaster;

6: Stir well and wait for everything to be hot before adding the rinsed kidney beans;

7: Finally add the chili powder.

8: When everything is hot, reduce the roaster to a slow cook setting and let the flavors mingle for 4-5 hours. Adjust any seasoning or consistency about an hour before serving.

If made the day before the party, use a jug to transfer the chili to smaller containers and store in your fridge. If you are in the north where snow and cold temperatures are outside, the chili can be stored outside. It does take 3-4 hours to reheat so set the roaster to cook in plenty of time to reheat before the party starts. Chili for 20 is not hard to do but does take some time due to all the chopping of vegetables and getting everything cooking well. All chili tastes better the next day, so make it the day before. It also tastes great the day after the party, so hopefully you will have some left over.

 

Chili is great for cold nights and parties

If you are lucky, there will be some chili left over for you to eat the next day when you are in cleanup mode!

 

 

Meet Kate Copsey

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