Ground Beef Chili Con Carne
Ingredients
1.5-2 lbs. ground beef
2 tsp dried chili
1 onion
4 garlic cloves
3-4 Roma tomatoes (baked)
2 chipotles in adobo (optional)
5 cups stock
1.5 tablespoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1-2 teaspoons salt (plus more to taste)
freshly cracked black pepper
1-2 cans beans (I used two 15 oz. cans of black beans)
Masa Harina or cornstarch to thicken (optional)
(optional) glass of red wine
Instructions
Rinse and de-stem the tomatoes. Roast them in the oven (200C) for 20-30 minutes or until you need them.
Preheat your main pot over medium heat along with a glug of oil. Add the ground beef and give it a good salting (I used a heaping teaspoon). Cook until fully browned, stirring regularly. Once cooked you can set the beef aside and optionally drain some fat from the pan.
In the same pot, add a finely chopped onion along with another glug of oil. Cook the onion over medium heat until softened. Then add 4 minced garlic cloves and briefly cook. Scoop half of the onion-garlic mixture into the blender where it will become part of the chili puree.
Add the ground beef back to the pan along with: 1.5 tablespoons oregano, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and some freshly cracked black pepper. You can let this simmer as you work on the chile puree. If it gets to a point where you feel like it's overcooking, simply remove it from the heat until you're done with the chile puree.
Add the chili to the blender along with a single roasted tomato and two chipotles in adobo (optional). I usually cut off the stem and scrape out the seeds of the chipotles. Half of the onion-garlic mixture should already be in the blender. Add a single cup of stock (or soaking liquid) and combine well. Feel free to add a bit more liquid if it won't combine readily. For milder batches you can blend without any chipotles to start with -- to increase the heat simply blend in 1/2 chipotle at a time and taste test along the way.
Add the chile puree to the beef mixture and cook briefly over medium heat.
(optional) Add the wine to the mixture.
Add the remaining roasted tomatoes to the pan and give 'em a rough chop. Add the remaining 4 cups of stock to the pan. You can also add the beans at this point. I used 2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed.
Bring everything up to temp and take a final taste for seasoning. I added another pinch of oregano and another generous pinch of salt. Keep in mind the exact salt level will depend on which stock you're using.
You can also adjust the consistency of the chili at this point if you want. To thin it out, simply add 1-2 cups of stock. To thicken it up you can use a cornstarch slurry. Once combined add the cornstarch mixture to the Chili, stirring well, and it will thicken up noticeably.
Serve immediately with rice. You could also top with your choice fixings: Crema, freshly chopped cilantro, cripsy tortilla strips, or a squeeze of lime.
You can optionally make a cheese quesadilla for dipping. Simply add cheese to half of a flour tortilla in a dry skillet over medium heat. Fold the tortilla in half and cook each side until lightly browned. ()
