Now that it's no longer chilly, I'm making...chili. Alright, perhaps my timing is a bit off, but it'll still taste mighty good for dinner tonight. Beans on the side, of course, one of John's
(picky!) requirements, but easy enough to accomodate. This is a relatively straightforward chili except for the addition of a bit of unsweetened chocolate - it adds additional depth of flavor and color, the way it does for a Mexican mole sauce. I've also found that ancho and chipotle chile powders - available in the spice rack at my local grocery store and hopefully at yours - much more flavorful and interesting than the usual chili powder (plus, they're purely ground chiles, whereas chili powder is a blend of chiles with salt, sugar, and other spices). They pack more heat too - pow! (I've adjusted the recipe accordingly.)And just to throw all our digestive tracts into distress, I'm making a big ol' cabbage salad as a side. Hey, cool and crunchy sounded good to me, alongside hot and spicy (plus, I've still got lots of cabbage from my CSA veggie share)...ask me later how many Tums it took me to get through the night. Perhaps I'll throw in a few cukes for good measure - ouch! (Recipe posted in comments, below.)
posted by Stephanie @ 12:05 PM
3 Comments:
Hearty (Bean Optional!) Chili
Stephanie Levy
Serves 4
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp. masa harina or flour
1 tsp. ancho chili powder
1 tsp. chipotle chili powder (or, you can use 1 Tbsp. good-quality regular chili powder in place of these two; and use more of it if you want really spicy chili You can add cayenne for more heat too, if you like, but go easy and taste as you go!)
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
1 15-oz. can chicken broth
1 c. beer (drink the rest!)
½ tsp. salt
½ oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
salt and pepper to taste
garnish:
canned pinto beans in chili sauce, warmed
chopped raw onion
Tabasco sauce
In a medium sauce pan or Dutch oven, brown ground beef, stiring to break apart as it cooks. Stir in onion, green pepper, and onion and sauté for about 5 minutes. Stir in masa harina or flour, chili powders, cumin, and oregano, and sauté for another 5 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, chicken broth, beer, and chocolate. (If it’s thicker than you like, add up to a cup of water as well.) Simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes until nice and thick (taste it a couple of times as it simmers – add more chili powder, cayenne, and/or salt if you like). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Can be prepared a day ahead – cool for a bit, uncovered, before you chill it in the refrigerator.
Hi Stephanie,
Did you see the article regarding Russian kettleballs in the Star Tribune today. How does feel to be so far ahead of trend. :) Mighty fine huh!
Well me too because I bought them shortly after I started following your blog. I love them! I actually saw someone in my neighborhood having a classs taught in their front yard by a professional. I have been meaning to go talk to them to get some pointers.
I'll have to go back and read the article. I didn't read it yet. I got so excited to come tell you how cool you are :) Donna
Hi Donna! I didn't see the article but have read it now, thank you so much for the heads up. Good article! And so COOL that you gave them a try - I love them. I can't take credit for being ahead of the trend, credit goes to my stepmom Susanna who told me about them. She had been introduced to them at Lifetime Fitness in St. Paul. It is a little cult, which is cool. And it's also cool what a big role MN has in the trend. Enjoy yours! And I'll put the link to the article in my next posting. For anyone who wants to cut & paste, here's the address:
http://www.startribune.com/1244/story/672314.html
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