Great Bowl of Fire

This recipe is from Risa Golding.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 
1½ pounds hot Italian sausage, chopped up 
½ large onion, chopped 
3 cloves garlic, minced 
1 cup water 
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes 
2 tablespoons chili powder 
Salt, to taste 
1 teaspoon ground cumin 
1 teaspoon crumbled Mexican oregano 
1 teaspoon sugar 
1 tablespoon paprika 

To thicken: 

2 tablespoon all-purpose flour 
2 tablespoons cornmeal 

Garnishes: sour cream, chopped cilantro, chopped green chiles,
and shredded cheddar cheese, optional 

Place the oil in a large pot. Heat until smoking and add the sausage. Cook, breaking the 
sausage up into small pieces, until it is no longer pink. This should take about 6 minutes. 
Add onion and garlic and cook until softened but not burned, about 6 minutes. Add the water 
and tomatoes to the meat mixture and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Add the chili 
powder, salt, ground cumin, Mexican oregano, sugar, and paprika and cook, uncovered, 
for another 30 minutes.

To thicken, add 1 tablespoon flour and 2 tablespoons cornmeal and cook for 5 minutes. 
Skim off fat if there is any.

To serve, place a ladle full of chile in warmed bowl and top with a dollop of sour cream, 
a sprinkle of chopped cilantro and green chile. If you wish, sprinkle with a bit of cheddar
cheese.

Yield: 4 servings

Heat Scale: Medium