C4 - Chocolate chipotle coffee chili


Isn't chili amazing! So many variations. So many opportunities to improvise. I didn't grow up eating chili, let alone making it. In fact, one of the first time I ventured into the world of chili making was when my friend JJ was hosting an unofficial chili cook-off at Colossal Cave Mountain Park. I played around with the recipe and came up with what ended up being a winner. Literally. I tied for first place (and I still have the dinner triangle I won. (I don't use it, because the neighbors wouldn't appreciate it.) 

That recipe was called Sue's Chili: Episode One, and it relied heavily on canned ingredients. Nothing against canned ingredients, other than my gut just can't handle the processed food much. So, I started totally from scratch and ended up with this recipe: C4 - Chocolate Chipotle Coffee Chili. When I don't have tomatoes in the freezer, I used canned for this. The chipotle chiles in adobo are also canned. My gut doesn't seem to object to these much. One hint about using these chiles - use a nice large cutting board and mince the entire can with the sauce. Then freeze it in either one- or two-tablespoon blocks. They are ready to use at a moments notice, and if you need a bit less, it is easy to break off just a bit.

By the way, I love this Cornbread recipe. It is made with corn meal and is a bit gritty. So, if you love smooth cornbread, you may not like this one too much, but we sure enjoy it!


C4 – Chocolate Chipotle Coffee Chili

~ 1-2 Tbl olive oil
1 ½ sweet onions, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground sirloin (or 93%)
2 hot links, finely diced
1 heaping Tbl brown sugar
2 Tbl heaping Ancho Chile Powder
1 heaping Tbl unsweetened cocoa - heaping
1 heaping tsp cumin
(½ tsp coriander)
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp salt
cooked pinto beans (~ 1 ¼ cups dried beans, pre-cooked & drained)
2 (14.5 Oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can chicken broth or 2 cups merlot or 2 cups coffee or Chimayo red chile red wine
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced

Heat Dutch oven. Add oil. When hot, add onions, peppers and meats. Cook until onions are translucent and meat is cooked. Add garlic. Cook another minute.
Add remaining ingredients. Stir well. Simmer approximately one hour.

Serve with:

Grated cheddar cheese
Diced onions
Sour cream
Whatever else sounds good

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