Four-Chile Chili

I tried this four-chile chili over the weekend when almost everyone I know was either watching sports on TV or playing poker online because of the blustery weather outside. This dish was the right one to coddle and sit on the couch with under a soft throw with the TV on. My sports fan guest loved it so much, he asked to pack the leftovers for lunch the next day.

I already had dried ancho chile at home, but feel free to use the powdered kind. If you still find bigger chunks of chiles and tomatoes during the hour that you’re simmering, take the opportunity to press them against the inside of the pot with the back of a wooden spoon to make sure that they are incorporated well. Feel free to add some more beef stock as well to make sure your chili is not clumpy and dry.

If you double up this recipe, you can freeze them in small batches for up to 2 months and survive the winter.

Ingredients:
olive oil
2 lbs sirloin or chuck, grounded
salt, pepper
1 white onion, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large jalapeño chiles, seeded, minced
1 dried ancho chile, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp paprika
half a small can of tomato paste
1 28-ounce can peeled Italian tomatoes, coarsely chopped and juices reserved
1 32-oz beef stock or broth
1 19-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
1 tbsp dried oregano
a handful cilantro, finely chopped
sour cream

1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Stir and cook over moderately high heat until brown. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining meat.
2. Pour off all but a scant of the fat from the pot. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeños and cook over medium-low heat until softened. Add the ancho pepper and paprika and cook over low heat until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the paste starts to brown. Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, the beef stock and the cooked beef plus any accumulated juices. Bring to a simmer over moderately high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the kidney beans, chipotles and oregano and simmer for 30 minutes more. Serve the chili in bowls, topped with a sprinkling of cilantro. Pass the sour cream at the table.