What To Eat Wednesday - Pressure Cooker Chili

On my last post about the low amylose diet I've started, I asked if anyone would be interested in some of the recipes we would be trying. I got some good responses, so I figured I'd start "What To Eat Wednesday," a (hopefully) weekly post that will describe at least one meal that follows the low amylose diet.

We're not exactly starting off on the best foot since this recipe is only low amylose-ish, but it is delicious!

I am in no way a food photographer

One of our favorite TV chefs is Alton Brown, host of the show, Good Eats. We've watched all 14 seasons over and over again, and it's honestly the show that we've been falling asleep to recently. Alton is quirky and funny, but what I like most about his show is that he explains the science behind why food happens. We've tried many of his recipes, and we haven't found one yet that we didn't like.

Keegan's been making Alton's Pressure Cooker Chili for years and got me hooked on it pretty quickly after we moved in together. While not 100% low amylose, it's pretty darn close and still full of flavor.

Note, the ingredients have slightly been altered by Keegan. Alton doesn't believe in beans in chili, but we find it tasty. Feel free to omit if you're not a bean fan.  

• 3 pounds stew meat (beef, pork, and/or lamb) (*we normally just use beef)
• 2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle of beer
• 1 (16-ounce) container salsa
• 2 hand full of tortilla chips (~30 chips)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 15.5 oz can of dark red kidney beans
• 1 15.5 oz can of pinto beans

1. Cut meat into about 1" pieces then place in a large mixing bowl and toss with the oil and salt. Set aside.
2. Heat a 6-quart heavy-bottomed pressure cooker over high heat until hot. Add the meat in 3 or 4 batches and brown on all sides, approximately 2 minutes per batch. Once each batch is browned, place the meat in a clean large bowl.
3. Once all of the meat is browned, add the beer to the cooker to deglaze the pot.
4. Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the meat back to the pressure cooker along with the salsa, tortilla chips, tomato paste, chili powder, and ground cumin and stir to combine.
5. Lock the lid in place according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the steam begins to hiss out of the cooker, reduce the heat to low, just enough to maintain a very weak whistle. Cook for 20 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and carefully release the steam. Drain and add both cans of beans to the pressure cooker. Stir to combine then keep on low heat for 5-10 minutes to heat the beans.
7. Serve with cheese and oyster crackers and sour cream if desired 

To make this recipe more low amylose friendly, you could use water to deglaze the presser cooker in step 3 instead of beer as well as not adding oyster crackers at the end. Unfortunately there is no replacement for the tortilla chips as they're used to thicken the chili.

This recipe is pretty simple; all you do is throw everything in and let the pressure cooker do its magic. Keegan and I get a serving each at dinner, (sometimes two,) and at least one serving for lunch the next day.

If you give the chili a try, let me know what you think!