White Bean Chili with Spicy Italian Sausage and Kielbasa

I’m a total dork.

So, I had made this killer chili a week ago and was all excited to share it with ya’ll until I found out this morning I inadvertently deleted all the photos I took.

Oops.

It would be a travesty if I didn’t share the recipe with you though, so in an effort to go above and beyond, I’ve decided to sketch an illustrious drawing of the chili for your eyes’ pleasure. I know, I know, I really shouldn’t have but I insist.

Yes, I realize I misspelled the word Italian. I suck.

But, don’t let my faulty handwriting dissuade you — this chili turned out really great with all the heady flavors you’d expect from a rich pot o’ beans and meat. The beer also helps here, but then again, when does beer ever not help? Beer is life’s elixir I say.

This gets better as it sits in the fridge, so make it on a lazy Sunday afternoon and eat your way through it all week long. Super good as is, in a bowl with a spoon. And please, if you’re going to drink anything with it, have a beer. It’s the only respectable thing to do.

White Bean Chili with Spicy Italian Sausage and Kielbasa

Makes enough for about 6-8 hungry peeps

1/2 lb. kielbasa; cut up into small dice

2 links spicy Italian sausage

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large yellow onion; chopped roughly

6 stalks celery + leaves; chopped roughly

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon aji colorado

1/4 cup cilantro; chopped roughly

2 roma tomatoes; chopped roughly

1 bottle light beer

4 cups chicken stock

2 – 15 oz. cans cannellini beans; rinsed and drained

1 – 15 oz. can garbanzo beans; rinsed and drained

Set a big pot over medium-high heat on the stove and toss in the diced kielbasa. Let the fat render off and brown for several minutes on all sides. Set the kielbasa aside. Toss in the spicy italian sausage, minus the casing, and break it up with a wooden spoon, letting brown for another few minutes. Set the sausage aside with the kielbasa. Drizzle in the olive oil and throw in the onions, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Stir everything together and let the vegetables soften slightly, about 5-7 minutes. Drop in the aji colorado and mix together with the vegetables and let cook for about 30-45 seconds. Add in the chopped tomatoes and cilantro and stir to combine. Toss the kielbasa and italian sausage back into the pot, along with the beer, chicken stock, and beans. Stir everything together and turn the heat up and close the lid. Let the chili come up to a boil and then turn the heat down to a low simmer and leave uncovered. Check on the chili occasionally and stir, but let cook for about 1 1/2 hours or until thickened. Taste for seasonings and adjust during the last 1/2 hour of cooking, as the flavors will intensify as it cooks and will develop even more as it sits later.

Provecho!

XO, Steph