Italian chili — Blog — mia cucina italiana

It's still winter and still chilly. A warm bowl of chili sounds just right for supper. This hearty chili is a fusion of Mexican and Italian flavors, a little spicy and meaty. There's beef and Italian sausage represented, as well as cannelini and pinto beans. Feel free to substitute your favorite beans, black beans, chili beans, whatever you like. The toppings make this chili for me. I piled on chopped fresh tomatoes, avocado and cheese. And speaking of toppings, since there was plenty of chili for leftovers, make your own version of Cincinnati Chili by adding chili and toppings on spaghetti—a great way to change it up for leftover night.

MEXITALIAN CHILI
Serves 8

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground Italian sausage
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 -2 Tbsp chili powder
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp ponzu sauce
1 Tbsp tomato paste
28 oz can tomato sauce
15 oz can each cannelini and pinto beans
1 cup beef stock or broth
salt and pepper to taste
quartered grape tomatoes, grated cheddar cheese and chopped avocado

1. Brown ground beef and sausage in a soup pot. When almost browned, add onion and garlic and saute until meat is all browned and onions softened. Add cumin, oregano and chili powder and toast the herbs, about 1 minute.

2. Add diced tomatoes, ponzu, tomato paste, tomato sauce, beans and stock. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down and simmer 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper.

3. To serve, add grape tomatoes, cheddar cheese and avocado to each bowl.

Pile on the toppings for fun custom-chili bowls.

My dad was the designated cook in the family, and mom professed to dislike cooking. She would jokingly say “If there are stoves in heaven, I’m not going.” But there were a few things she cooked exceptionally well despite her objection to it in general. She made marvelous cookies, meatballs (she made better meatballs than my dad!), and soup. We loved soup as kids because she was such a creative soup maker. She didn’t really follow any recipes, but tried different ingredients and they most always came out tasty and flavorful. So as homage to my mom and her soup making skills, I came up with three fall soups to enjoy. They make great leftovers and freeze well if you want to make a big batch now and enjoy later. Hope I make you proud, mom!

ITALIAN SAUSAGE CHILI SOUP
Serves 4

2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 lb Italian mild sausage links
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 tsp oregano
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp each salt and black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-28 oz can diced tomatoes, with juice
1- 16 oz can chili beans, with juice
1-16 oz can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups chicken broth
8 oz mini farfalle pasta
grated mozzarella cheese for garnish
chopped banana peppers for garnish

1. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan. Brown sausage links on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water to the pan, cover and simmer over low heat 10 minutes. Remove sausage links and let rest on cutting board.

2. In soup pan, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, red bell pepper and onion. Turn heat to low and sweat vegetables until softened, about 10 minutes. While vegetables are sweating, add oregano, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. After 10 minutes, add the garlic and continue to cook 2 more minutes.

3. Add diced tomatoes and chili beans with their juices, cannelini beans and chicken broth. Chop sausage into bite-size pieces and add to pot. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to directions, drain and rinse.

4. To serve, spoon about 1/2 cup farfalle into bowls, ladle on soup and top with grated mozzarella and chopped banana peppers.

TOMATO ZUCCHINI SOUP WITH PESTO
Serves 4-6

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups chicken broth
1-28 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 medium zucchini, shredded
1 Tbsp each basil and oregano
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1 Tbsp lemon juice
6 oz orzo pasta

For the Pesto:
1 cup Italian parsley
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup fresh basil or arugula
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1 tsp lemon pepper
dash salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

1. Make pesto by placing all ingredients except olive oil in food processor, pulse for 1 minute. Then stream in olive oil and pulse 1 minute more. Set aside.

2. In soup pot, heat olive oil and butter, add onion. Sweat onion on low heat, about 5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.

3. Add broth, tomatoes, zucchini, salt, peppers and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Add Parmesan and lemon juice. Simmer 10 more minutes. Meanwhile, cook orzo according to package directions.

4. To serve, place portion of orzo in soup bowls, add soup and top with a generous dollop of pesto.

ITALIAN POTATO, HAM & MUSHROOM BISQUE
Serves 6

4 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped, with leaves
2 carrots, chopped
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp each dried basil & oregano
1 bay leaf
5 cups russet potatoes, peeled & diced
4 cups chicken broth
8 oz button mushrooms, sliced
8 oz ham, chopped
2 cups half and half
2 Tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt butter over low heat in soup pot. Add onion, celery and carrots, parsley, basil, oregano and bay leaf and cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables soften, about 7 minutes. Add potatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

2. Add ham and stir in half and half and heat, covered until steaming, do not boil. Stir together cornstarch and water and add to soup. Increase heat to medium-high and stir until soup boils and thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, dot top of each bowl of soup with a pat of butter and garnish with chopped parsley.

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