Not Your Average Chili

I love Super Bowl Sunday, not for the football, not for the commercials but for the food.  Actually I think I just love Sunday in general.  It is always the night of the week that I make some kind of warm and tasty comfort food.  Since it is Super Bowl Sunday it seemed like an obvious choice for tonight's dinner....CHILI!  To start I make my own chili powder mixture. With ancho chili, oregano, cumin seeds, paprika, chili powder and coriander seeds. I love the aroma you get from the cumin seeds, they are so fragrant and smoky.

The recipe makes more than you need for the chili.  I gave the leftover spice mixture to my Mom but you can always leave what's left in an airtight container for your next batch of chili.  It will save you some work for next time.

My Mom and Step-Father joined us for dinner. They both commented that they had never had chili with chunks of beef in it, just ground beef.  The chili has a lot of flavor.  It's almost like you can taste each ingredient in every bite.  The chocolate, the Guinness, the spices and the cinnamon. The Masa Harina is a great way to thicken everything up, almost like the cornstarch used in Asian cooking.  Masa Harina means "dough flour" and it is corn that has been soaked in slaked lime solution and then ground. The lime solution makes masa flour more nutritional than just straight corn flour.

If you're looking for a Not Your Average Chili type of chili then this is it.  If you decide to give it a try the only ingredient that might be a little tricky is the dried ancho chili.  It took me a while to find a reliable source for these.  If you can't find them head out to Navan and go to Chilly Chilies they have a variety of dried chilies and lots of other goodies to pick up while you're there.

Guinness Beef Chili

Ingredients

• 3 dried ancho peppers, stemmed and seeded
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons whole coriander
• 1 tablespoon cumin seed
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 canned chipotle chile, chopped
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes (or 5 cups fresh chopped tomatoes)
• 1 can Guinness
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 cans corn
• 2 cans kidney beans
• 2 tablespoons masa harina
• 2 oz dark chocolate
• Sour Cream
• Shredded Mozzarella

Directions

1. In a small dry skillet over low heat add the ancho peppers, oregano, paprika, coriander, cumin, and chili powder. Cook until they begin to smell, about 2 minutes. Put the spices into a spice mill or food processor and grind until they are powdered. Set aside.
2. Heat a large heavy bottomed casserole over medium heat; add 3 tablespoons olive oil and the onions. Cook until the onions are soft and beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes.
3. Pat the beef dry and season it with salt and pepper. Add it to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until it has browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.
4. Add 4 tablespoons of the toasted spice mix, the garlic, chipotle, jalapeno, tomatoes, Guinness, cinnamon stick, and sugar. Season with salt and stir well.
5. Return to the boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1 1/2 hours.
6. Remove the meat and shred it with a fork. Return it to the pot and add corn and kidney beans. Simmer another 30 minutes.  
7. Stir in the masa harina and chocolate, and cook for another 10 minutes, uncovered, to thicken. Taste and adjust seasoning.
8.  Serve with sour cream and shredded cheese. 

ENJOY!