All American Chili - cooking recipe

Ingredients

6 ounces hot sweet Italian turkey sausage
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground sirloin
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 bay leaves
1 1/4 cups merlot or 1 1/4 cups other fruity red wine
2 (28 ounce) cans whole tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chopped
2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese (2 ounces)

Preparation

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Remove casings from sausage.
Add sausage, onion, and the next 4 ingredients (onion through jalapeno) to pan; cook 8 minutes or until sausage and beef are browned, stirring to crumble.
Add chili powder and the next 7 ingredients (chili powder through bay leaves), and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Stir in wine, tomatoes, and kidney beans; bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Uncover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Discard the bay leaves.
Sprinkle each serving with cheddar cheese.