Penney’s successful Chili
Chili that I have made in the past has lacked flavor. In my search for a chili recipe tonight (I was craving chili since the weather here has turned cold, windy, and rainy), I wanted a recipe that included a lot of spices so that I could make sure that my chili didn’t turn out plain. I found a recipe with a little too many spices, so I reduced it down to my best judgment. The results were a spicy chili (spicy for me probably means mild to most) full of chili-flavor. Pinto beans instead of kidney beans were a first for me, but I thought that the pinto beans was a nice way of adding beans without making it seem quite so beany. Kidney beans are larger and a little rougher in texture, so you know that you’re eating a bean. I didn’t really notice the pinto beans in the chili. It made about 5 normal-sized servings, probably only 3 servings if you are eating chili by itself for a meal. Also, I like a nice meat-to-chili-to-bean ratio, but if you like your chili more meaty than saucy, the original recipe called for 3 lbs of ground beef. I felt that was a little bit too excessive for Tommy and I, who are perfectly happy to eat vegetarian meals.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pounds ground beef chuck
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons chile powder
1 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoons chopped thyme
1 teaspoons chopped oregano
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups low-sodium beef broth
One 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained
One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with the juices
5 chipotle chiles in adobo, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Preparation
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook just until brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and green pepper to the pot and cook until onions are translucent, about 8 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, chile powder, cumin, coriander, sugar, thyme, oregano, black pepper and cayenne pepper and cook for 10 more minutes stirring occasionally.
Stir in the beef broth, pinto beans, diced tomatoes, chipotle chiles, tomato paste and vinegar. Bring to a simmer and cook for 90 minutes stirring occasionally.
Serve by itself or with additional chili necessities such as white rice, crackers, cheddar cheese, sour cream, fritos, etc. I plan on eating it a few ways since we have about 3 servings left over. YUM!
February 22nd, 2008 at 10:28 pm
In case you were thinking about leaving out the chiles in adobo, don’t. They are crucial. Penney has made this with and without them and the dish falls pretty flat without their rich smokiness and spiciness.