chili recipe

[vaznetti]

Like everything else I cook, this is a very forgiving recipe. Because really, it's chili. Put stuff in a pot and cook for a while.


vaznetti's brown chili

Since this is chili, none of the measurements are precise. You will need:

• 2 lbs lean ground beef (or beef stew meat, if you prefer).


• a large can (28 oz/800 ml) pureed tomatoes


• a large can black beans. The best brand I've found is La Preferida, but I have had to try many other brands because I live in places where La Preferida black beans aren't available. Alas.


• a large onion, chopped.


• chilies. I usually use whole dried chilies. The number and type depend on how hot you want the chili; I wanted tonight's mild, so I used two dried ancho chilies and about a teaspoon of red chili flakes.


• cumin


• cinnamon


• cocoa powder


• a bottle of beer, or some other liquor. Guinness or some other dark beer is best, but I have used red wine and even whiskey. The latter worked surprisingly well.

Cook the onion in a little oil until it's soft. Add the beef and brown it completely. At this point I add the spices -- about 3 tablespoons of cumin and four of cocoa, and a teaspoon or so of cinnamon. If you have other spices you want to add, like ground coriander or chili powder, now would be the time; cumin and chocolate are not optional, though. Also the chilies. Sometimes I've cooked the spices with the onion, instead. If you need to drain the fat off the beef, though, you'd want to do that before adding the spices.

Add the beans, tomatoes and beer. I don't drain the beans unless the liquid they're in looks icky, which sometimes is the case. You must use black beans. Red kidney beans are of the devil, and pinto beans don't have good flavor and texture. Pureed tomatoes make for better texture than chopped tomatoes, but either will do. Show some respect for your chili by using a good, dark beer. It will reward you.

Cook partially covered over a low heat for at least two hours so that it thickens and the flavors meld. Serve with some combination of rice, tortillas, yogurt or sour cream and grated cheese. Taste it while you cook, and if it's too spicy add some honey to cool it down.


This makes enough for... well, many. You'll need a big pot, and probably some space in the freezer.

Comments

[cschick.livejournal.com]

Usually, I use water too. (Did that tonight for ground beef chili.) But the beer sounds good . . . we usually keep some interesting beers around the house. I kind of wish that I'd seen the recipe before I made my chili tonight--chili's something I get around to only every six months or so.

[vaznetti]

Well, there's always next time! If you do use beer, the darker the better. I don't really like the taste of canned Guinness, but it's so good to cook with.

[cschick.livejournal.com]

It's always a challenge making the water-based sauce flavorful enough when making chili (lots of oregeno and other spices are required). Even though I use beer for other sauce-based dishes, I never thought of using it for the chili! *headdesk*

The hubby keeps this microbrewery porter around that's as dark and thick as Guinness (Great Lakes Brewing's Edmund Fitzgerald Porter). My mouth is watering while thinking about that being the liquid for a chili ;)