Thursday, October 7, 2010

Getting chili here...

It's getting chilly here in New York! Time for apples, pumpkins, and comfort foods! And to us, comfort food means a big bowl of hot chili, hot as in temperature and hot as in spicy! Sorry people but we also like beans with our chili.What we don't agree on is toppings!

Made a huge pot of it the other night. We like it better the next day, it gets thicker, and the flavors come together to make a really hearty, delicious bowl of goodness! We do however like different things on our chili. one plain, one with cheese, avocado and onions. One with cheese, crushed saltine crackers and onions, and one with everything, cheese, tomatoes, onions and avocado.

Flashing back to one of our favorite chili recipes, it's from epicurious.com, and was posted to the cooking forum where I saw it and had to try it. Made it many times since then, using ground beef one time and mostly boneless chuck roast cut into small pieces. That was time consuming, so this time I cut big chunks out of the roast and pulsed it in the food processor. Not too fine, and it was a nice texture in the chili. And much easier if you have a nice sized roast!




Beef Chili with Ancho, Mole and Cumin

Adapted from the kitchen of There's Always Thyme to Cook
Source: Bon Appétit - February 2009 by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison
posted Cooking Forum - Riverrat
Printable Recipe

1 tablespoon cumin
4 bacon slices, chopped
1 4-pound boneless chuck roast, trimmed, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 1/2 cups (or more) beef broth, divided
1/4 cup pure ancho chile powder
1/4 cup Texas-style chili powder blend (I didn't have that, what is it?  I used New Mexico ground chili powder, Chipotle chili powder and a medium heat chili powder blend)
1 1/2 tablespoons mole paste (I had to make it, couldn't find in the store, then froze the leftovers, see recipe below)
2 teaspoons (or more) salt
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
2 tablespoons masa flour
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)

Garnishes:
warm, freshly cooked or drained canned black beans, kidney beans or pinto beans
chopped white, red or green onions
grated cheddar cheese, monterey jack cheese, or queso fresco
sliced fresh or pickled jalapeno chiles
tortilla chips or oyster crackers
avocado

Sauté bacon in large pot over medium high heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to large bowl. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Working in 4 batches, sauté beef in drippings in pot until browned, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer beef and most drippings to bowl with bacon. Add onion and garlic to pot. Sauté until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup broth to pot. Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Return beef, bacon, and any accumulated juices to pot. Mix in all the chili powders, mole paste, 2 teaspoons salt, vinegar, oregano, and cumin. Add 3 cups broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to very low and simmer gently uncovered until beef is very tender, stirring occasionally and adding more broth by 1/2 cupfuls if chili is dry, about 2 1/2 hours. Mix the masa in a quarter cup of warm water to make a slurry. Spoon it into the chili and bring back to a boil to thicken the chili. Season chili with salt, pepper, and cayenne, if desired. Add more broth if it's too thick.

Chili can be made 3 days ahead. Cool 1 hour. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm over low heat.


Mole Sauce
Source: Allrecipes
Adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook

2 teaspoons oil (vegetable or olive oil)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
A little handful of cilantro, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 garlic clove, chopped fine
1 one can of Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers
1/4 cup almonds, sliced or chopped

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender. Mix in cocoa powder, cumin, cilantro, and garlic. Stir in the tomatoes and green chile peppers. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer about 20 minutes.  Let it cool a bit. Then whiz it with an immersion blender to make a smooth sauce, but be careful of splattering. Or you can also whiz the whole thing in the food processor.

Note: I put the leftovers in an ice cube tray and when it's frozen, put them in a ziploc bag and have a cube if I need one for a recipe.



Joining Suzy at Kitchen Bouquet for another Flashback Friday.

 and





and joining

Texas Star Chili Cook Off 2012

25 comments:

  1. It's back in the 70s here! We had frost warnings last weekend and here we are with gorgeous weather again. Things are changing next week and I may be thinking about chili then. This sounds great!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This looks incredibly hearty and warm. Want to take a bite. Would go great with skillet corn bread? The sandwich looks yummy too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's still warm here but I know chili weather is around the corner!! This looks delicious! Don't you just love freezing things in ice cube trays, so easy!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you so much for your kind comment on my photo at Tomatoes on the Vine. :-) Your chili looks GORGEOUS!!! :-) I love chili so much, and can't wait for the next free day I have to make up a batch. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. The weather here is colder than normal so I guess that chilli would be a great idea. I may cut on chillies a little bit since I have a very sensitive stomach. Other than that I wouldn't change a thing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Beautiful summerish day here, yesterday too! Chili is good anytime, and yours looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh that looks scrumptious..It would be great for our chilling weather here too!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've always heard of the mole sauce...thanks for sharing the recipe! We love chili...year round! ♥

    ReplyDelete
  9. Delicious! The mole paste is a nice twist, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  10. It is almost chili time ( here in Florida). Your chili looks divine. I love the flavors of a mole paste and ancho chilis. More impressive you made the mole paste.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Looking very tasty! I love chili..but mostly make the ground meat kind. I need to break out of my chili shell :-) Thanks for joining in on the flashback!

    ReplyDelete
  12. That looks delicious! I like the idea of pulsing the roast to get that interesting not-quite-ground-beef texture. Good tip!

    ReplyDelete
  13. There is a chill in the air and I love it! Perfect for snuggling up with a big pot of your hearty and delicious looking chili! The mole sauce makes this extra special.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I like this! Kudos for making your mole...I really need to try a new chili recipe. Mine is tired. Yours looks super!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I am glad its chili, season, too! This chili looks delicious and would go great with some jalapeno and honey cornbread!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Its not chilly here (90 deg) but I love chili. I agree with the toppings, but the red onions add depth in its flavor.

    Good idea about the leftovers in ice cubes! I should do this, too.

    ReplyDelete
  17. You know... I was planing to make a chili tomorrwo for dinner and I will use yourr recipe!. It looks divine!

    Faith

    ReplyDelete
  18. What a great sounding chili! I have to try this when it cools down again. Was in the 40's last week and in the mid 80's this week. This recipe is unique with the mole. Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  19. This looks like a fabulous recipe! I would love to make a pot of chili, but we are expecting record highs on Tuesday...waaaah! Where's fall??? Hope you are having a great weekend!...hugs...Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  20. I haven't made chili in a long time ..yours looks so good! I also love the Mole recipe ...this will be nice to have on hand.

    Thanks so much for your congratulations on our good nwws ..we are so excited to think pink!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Wow, love these flavors...Would stand up to a vegetarian version too :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. I love love love a good bowl of chili and this recipe sounds wonderful. I grew up with my Dad serving saltine crackers with chili. Love the avocado topping here. Gotta try this.

    ReplyDelete
  23. And yum! Another great link, thanks Carol.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Your chili looks very yummy! Great photo!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi Carol,
    Your Chili has great flavor and looks fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing with Texas Star Chili Cook Off. I am pinning your post!
    Good Luck!
    Miz Helen

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment. They are fun to read and very much appreciated! Sorry for comment moderation, the spam has been overwhelming lately.

Back to top