I had a resolution (okay yes, it was a bit after New Years but better late than never) to start a blog and am failing at it. It's not for a lack of material, I'm cooking almost every day, with recipes I'd love to share with the world. Getting the food from the table to the internet is the hard part. How does one best motivate themselves to share the love of food with the world? Though I tried it before, I'm going to try again. I want to be able to share recipes that other can make and love as much as I do.
With that, I have a quick recipe to share. Beef Chili. The LB (lovely boyfriend) came home from work and asked if I could make him chili for dinner. Who am I to say no. No problem that it's 85 degress and the only air conditioner is in the bedroom. Despite the sweating and eating something so hearty on a hot summer day, this recipe is definitely a keeper. The chili is meaty, spicy, more like a chunky soup and completely different from the ground beef chili that I'm used to.
Beef Chili
-adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2008-
There are a few things I changed from this recipe. I left out the chipotle chilies in adobo since the tiny grocery store didn't stock them. I didn't puree the tomatoes, simply because I (a) didn't have a food processor and (b) I was too lazy and didn't want to do extra dishes. Oh and I left out the added oregano since I didn't have any. Honestly, you wouldn't even notice.
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes (petite diced would probably be good too if you choose not to puree them)
4 slices bacon, chopped fine
1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) chuck roast, cut into 1 inch pieces (I use prepacked stew meat)
1 onion, chopped
1 jalepeno, minced
3 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika chipotle seasoning (this was my substitute for the chiles in adobo, if using chiles- mince 2 tsp)
1 1/2 tsp cumin
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups water
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp cornmeal
Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven until crispy. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. Then drain the grease into a heat proof bowl. Put the pot back on the stove (Not on heat!)
Pat the beef cubes dry with paper towels and season with pepper. Heat 1 Tablespoon of the reserved oil in the pot until almost smoking the brown half the beef until nicely seared. Remove to another heatproof bowl and then add 1 more Tablespoon of the bacon fat to the pit. Sear the remaining meat and place in bowl.
Add 1 more Tablespoon bacon fat to the pot (if not enough fat, use oil) and saute the onion and jalapeno until softened. Once onion and jalapeno are soft, add in the chili powder, paprika seasoning, cumin and garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir in the water, tomatoes(and chipotle chiles if using), bacon, beef, and sugar. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 1 hour then skim the fat, if any, (Mine had hardly any fat on top so I did not skim it) then simmer another 30 minutes or until the beef is tender.
Ladle 1 cup of the broth into a bowl and stir in the cornmeal. Microwave 45 seconds to 1 minute, until the mixture is thick then stir this into the chili. Simmer the chili until it thickens slightly. Serve with cornbread.
I think I may have to ditch my ground beef chili recipe from now on.
