Sunday, June 19, 2011

Chili

Today feels like a chopping day in my kitchen and since I'm a big fan of the local farmers marker, which has awesome fresh peppers, it's a chili day.  Now, I warn you this is a huge batch of chili (takes a 6 qt pot) so feel free to scale it down a bit.  This is a man's man chili.  Great for Superbowl or cold winter days.  Warning: this is not a beginner's recipe.  This is labor intensive and well worth it!





Christina's Infamous Chili
Ingredients (listen in order of what goes in the pot when *beans are listed last but need to be cooked first!)
3lbs ground beef (feel free to swap out some ground pork or other favorite meats)
2 small or 1 large shallot
1 clove garlic (or 1/2 if large like mine is), peel each piece because you can't get enough fresh garlic
1 medium yellow onion
2 poblano peppers
2 red bell peppers
1 green bell pepper
4 jalepeno peppers
4 tbs ground chili powder
2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
2 tsp ground paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander (this is ground cilantro seeds btw)
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 8oz cans tomato paste
12-16oz Guinness Extra Stout (or a lager beer in general)
8 oz beef stock
1 cup dry red kidney beans
1 cup dry pinto beans



Directions:
1. Cook beans by bringing to boil then letting simmer for 45 minutes.  Drain and set aside.
2. In a large stock pot (mine is 6qt) begin browning ground beef.  Preheat oven to broil setting.
3. Finely chop shallots and peel and chop garlic.  Add to pot.
4. Chop yellow onion into small pieces and add to pot.
5. Cut all peppers in half and remove seeds.  YOU MUST WEAR GLOVES for all pepper related activity or you will be really sorry.  (I wear Chlorox latex free gloves)  Coat peppers thoroughly but lightly with extra virgin olive oil.  Place all peppers on a sheet pan skin side up and roast for 5-7 minutes, or until skin has started to bubble and show broiled spots.  Remove from oven and place in an airtight container for at least 10 minutes to make the skin easier to peel off.  Peel off as much of all the skins as you can, chop, and add to pot. *Side note: I usually use anaheim (long hot) peppers as well but forgot them while I was at Publix.  When using these I use less jalepenos and red pepper.
6. While peppers are cooling, or even just after you've added them, it's time to start seasoning the meat.  Keep in mind you will be tasting and touching up the seasonings for the rest of this recipe.  Add all seasonings, mixing thoroughly.
7. Add tomato paste to pot.
8. Add beef stock to pot and stir really, really well.
9. Simmer for 20 minutes before adding the beer.
10. Add beans.  Simmer for at least 1-2 hours, this is necessary to infuse the beans with the favor, and will make your chili have a richer flavor.

Enjoy!  I like to top mine with chopped green onions, cheddar cheese, and fresh cilantro.  Sometimes I use Fritos and treat the chili like a dip.  Reheats really well.

Vegetarian alteration:  Substitute corn for the beef (probably 3 or 4 cups), add celery and carrots, double or triple the beans, and switch out the beef stock for vegetable stock.

1 comment:

  1. Try serving this with cornbread muffins and cinnamon rolls for desert!

    ReplyDelete