by Rebecca Sep 27th, 2011 // Dinner

Dylan’s Favorite Chili

My friend Katie just came out with a new cookbook.  I’m OBSESSED.  Mostly because my rice cooker stares at me often and begs to be used.  Now I have 300 ways to use it.  I asked her to do a guest post and share one of her recipes.  Here’s Katie… When I set out to write my new cookbook, 300 Best Rice Cooker Recipes (http://www.thesweetandsourchronicles.com), I started to experiment with everything from risottos and stews to soups and chilis. I realized that you can make amazing one-pot meals all in your rice cooker. As a busy working mom of twins, it was an amazing revelation and lifesaver. My friends call it a “fast” slow cooker and love the fact that, unlike a crock pot, you don’t have to have all your ingredients ready to go in the morning.

During my chili testing phase, I whipped up this fast (you can make it in under an hour) and easy (calls for everyday ingredients like onion, poblano peppers and celery).

It’s also chock full of flavor from the cumin, coriander, black pepper and cayenne making it my son Dylan’s all-time favorite chili recipe. Cut the amount of poblano peppers and cayenne pepper in half for milder version of this dish.

Makes 6 Servings

Large rice cooker, fuzzy logic or on/off

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup finely chopped onion
3 poblano peppers, seeded and ribs removed,
finely diced (about 11/2 cups)
1 lb ground pork or chicken
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
¾ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup chopped celery
2 cans (14 oz) white beans (such as cannellini or white kidney),
drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz) white or yellow hominy, drained and rinsed
4 cups chicken broth
Sour cream
Finely chopped fresh cilantro
Lime wedges

1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or Regular cycle. When the bottom of the bowl gets hot, add oil and swirl to coat. Saute garlic and onion for about 3 minutes or until onion is softened and translucent. Add poblano peppers, pork, salt, cumin, oregano, coriander, black pepper, cayenne; sauté, breaking pork or chicken up with the back of a spoon, for 4 to 5 minutes or until pork or chicken is no longer pink. Add celery and sauté 2 minutes.

2. Stir in beans, hominy and broth. Close the lid and reset for the Regular cycle. Set a timer for 45 minutes.

3. When the timer sounds, switch to the Keep Warm cycle. Let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then serve immediately, topped with sour cream and garnished with cilantro, with lime wedges on the side.

Excerpted from 300 Best Rice Cooker Recipes by Katie Chin © 2011 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.