Beans, Beans the Magical Fruit, Part 1: Ohio Farmhouse Sausage Chili

I know what you’re thinking.  It’s Christmas.  Where are the festive dishes?  Where are the visions of sugarplums?  Well, let me tell you a tale of the darker side of culinary Christmas.  The scrimping-and-saving side.  The side where meals are made BEFORE Ebenezer Scrooge comes to his (still questionable) senses.  It is the meal of penny pinching which makes the more festive dishes possible.  And penny pinching in our house means beans.  Lots of beans.

The bean is an amazing food.  Is it truly a fruit?  Well, that’s for another, more heated discussion certainly.  But I digress. 

The bean can be made into almost anything - and cheaply.

One of the favorite dishes I like to throw the little guys into is Ohio Farmhouse Sausage Chili, courtesy of Joy of Cooking.  I make this dish a lot (and have tweaked it here and there, but not enough to take any real credit).  My family and this dish are on quite familiar terms.  I buy ground sausage in the three-pound chubs at Costco (akin to Sam’s, for those that know not the greatness of Costco) and divide it up and freeze it – mostly just for this meal.  Kidney beans I keep on hand – sometimes dried, but mostly canned as I’ve found they are about the same cost as dried when bought at discount grocery stores.  I’ve made this chili the stove and even recently in the crockpot.  It’s just a rockin’ chili.  So without further adieu, I present, Jessica’s version of Ohio Farmhouse Sausage Chili:

Ohio Farmhouse Sausage Chili

     4 to 6 servings

Brown in a large skillet:

     1 pound pork sausage

     1 large onion, chopped

Toward the end of the browning, add:

     2 celery stalks, diced

When the celery is softened, add:

     One 28-ounce can (3 ½ cups) diced tomatoes

     2 cups tomato juice or chicken broth or a combo of the two (**I like to use V8)

     1 to 2 Tablespoons maple syrup or molasses (**I prefer maple syrup and always use 2 Tablespoons)

     2 teaspoons ground cumin

     1 ½ teaspoons powdered sage

     ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Simmer for 20 minutes.  Add:

     3 ½ to 4 cups cooked red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (**I use 4 cans, drained and rinsed)

Simmer for 15 minutes more.  Serve with:

     Sharp cheddar cheese, cubed (**this is excellent in the steaming chili)

     Corn bread (**see my cornbread post), or buttermilk biscuits