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This is my standard recipe:

2 lbs. lean ground sirloin
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 1/2T ancho chili powder
1T cumin
1 1/2 t oregano (use epazote if you have it)
1t cinnamon
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 12 oz. bottle of light beer
1 cup water or stock

Saute the ground meat until no longer pink and drain off the fat. Add the onions and peppers and saute until softened, then add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes more. Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and cinnamon, and saute 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. Deglaze with the crushed tomatoes, then add the beer and water or stock. Simmer for about 45 minutes, covered, then uncover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Serve over rice, with lots of sour cream, chopped onion, and chopped tomato.

This recipe suites my (mild) taste, but you can leave the seeds in the jalapeno to bump up the heat a little bit. It's easy to throw together, and it's a big recipe that leaves lots of leftovers!

1 chopped onion
as much garlic as you feel like chopping, 1 head should do it
1 T whole cumin seeds, toasted then crushed
3 T standard chili powder blend
1/2 t chipotle chili powder (You can add more later if you want more heat)
1 T oregano
1# ground beef
1 bottle of Shiner beer (it's made in Shiner, TX but, I suppose any ole beer will do
1 can plain diced tomatoes
1# cooked pinto beans that you cooked the day before, seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper

Brown the meat in a heavy bottomed stock pot along with the onions. Add some salt to help bring out the juices and soften the onions. When the meat starts to get some good color, add everything but the beans and tomatoes. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic becomes really fragrant, the onions are soft and the meat is nicely browned. Taste the meat for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Add the beer and stir. Add the tomatoes and the beans, along with their cooking liquid. Add enough water so that the liquid is 2-3 inches above the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat and simmer 1-2 hours, tasting occasionally. If you find you want more heat, add more chipotle in very small increments, alittle goes a long way. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and maybe some Fritos.

Use flank steak and slather it in a little adobo sauce before cooking. That'll knock up the heat factor a bit. Super hot chili calls for chopping up some of the chipotle peppers and adding it to the main pot.

I made a turkey chili and despite 4 Tbs. chili powder, it wasn't spicy enough! I think my pasta and sweet ingredients absorbed all my spice but feel free to omit them if you're interested in the recipe.

Hillary
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