Chili

*This recipe should just be used as a guide. Don’t be overwhelmed by the enormous ingredient list below. You can omit any of these ingredients and use a spice variation to suit your taste. This chili as posted takes on an earthy profile due to the use of dark chocolate and orange. I like a lot of veggies in my chili too. You don’t even need , and It will still taste just as hearty.

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
- 1 large Onion, chopped
- ½ lb Mushrooms, chopped
- 2 small Zucchinis, chopped
- 5-6 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 Jalapenos, chopped fine
- 1 small Habanera pepper, chopped fine
- 2- 28 oz cans Chopped Tomatoes, plus 1- 14 oz can
- 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 1 can Kidney Beans, drained
- 1 can Black Beans, drained
- 1-2 Oranges, cut in quarters
- 1 lb ground meat or soy crumbles
- Dark Chocolate (70%-80% cocoa), to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons Chipotle in Adobo, chopped fine with sauce
- Salt/Pepper, to taste
- Ground Cumin, to taste
- Ground Coriander, to taste
- Chili Powder, to taste
- 2-3 whole Cloves
- 2-3 dried Bay Leaves
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- ½ cup Beer
- Chicken Stock or water (if needed)
- Brown Sugar (if needed)
- Green Onions, chopped for garnish
- Cilantro, chopped for garnish
- Shredded Cheddar, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

- Heat a large, heavy pot (preferably a dutch oven) over medium heat with a couple tablespoons olive oil. Sauté the chopped onions and all peppers. While sautéing, season with salt/pepper, cumin, coriander, chili powder to taste. Sauté until soft. Towards the end, the minced garlic and cook through. Be careful not to burn the garlic.

- At this point you can add in the chopped mushrooms and zucchini to sauté, adding additional oil as needed. If there isn’t enough room in the pot, sauté them both in a separate pan heated with oil, and then add to the pot. Be sure to season them in the same manner as the onions and peppers. I prefer to sauté them separately so that I can get a nice caramelization and browning of the mushrooms and zucchini, which can’t be achieved in an overcrowded pot.

- Once all the vegetables have been cooked, and are all in the main chili pot, add about ½ cup of beer over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for a couple minutes.

- Add the tomato paste and work into the veggies over medium heat.

- Add the chopped tomatoes, drained beans, chipotle in adobo, bay leaves, whole cloves, cinnamon stick, and half of the quartered oranges. Add salt/pepper/cumin/chili powder to taste. Don’t add too much at this point because you can always add more later. Let simmer over low heat with the lid slightly covering the pot. Don’t completely cover the pot.

- While the chili is simmering, add some dark chocolate. Add a few small pieces to start with and let simmer. You can add more later as needed to suit your taste.

- Periodically taste the chili as it simmers, and adjust the seasoning as needed. Squeeze some of the juice of the remaining orange quarters if needed. Add more chocolate if needed. If the chili is too thick, you can add some chicken stock or water. There is really no time for how long it should simmer. Simmer the chili until it has reached your desired flavor profile. For this particular recipe, the taste should be deep and earthy with hints of “mole” due to the chocolate. I usually simmer for about 2 hours.

- Towards the end of simmering, add the cooked meat or soy crumbles if you are using. I brown the meat in a separate skillet with the same set of spices and then add it to my chili. Again, I do this because browning enhances the flavor.

- Add some brown sugar if needed at the end to cut any acidity you might taste. Go easy on it though.

- Before serving the chili, remove the orange quarters, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves.

- I like to serve this chili with steamed rice, corn bread, Greek yogurt, shredded cheese, chopped scallions, and cilantro.