Author Notes
A lot of ingredients, but only three steps and one pot for a spicy, smoky-sweet chili with a little twist. —Cynthia Chen McTernan
Ingredients
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2 pounds
ground beef
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1
large onion, diced
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1
14-ounce can crushed tomatoes (or 29-ounce if you want a thinner chili)
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1
14-ounce can diced tomatoes OR 3 fresh medium tomatoes, diced
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1
14-ounce can of black beans, or whichever bean you like most
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1
stalk (rib) of celery, diced
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1/2 cup
carrots, diced
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1
bell pepper, diced
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1-2
jalapenos, diced (less if you don't like spice)
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2-3 tablespoons
chili powder (adjust to taste)
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1 teaspoon
ground cumin
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1-2 teaspoons
crushed red chili pepper (to taste)
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1/2 teaspoon
cayenne (to taste)
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1/4 cup
dark chocolate chips (a little less than 2 ounces), melted
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2-3 tablespoons
brown sugar (optional and to taste)
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1/4 cup
ketchup (optional and to taste)
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1/3 cup
chicken broth (optional, for thinning)
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salt and pepper to taste
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shredded cheese of your choice for topping
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sliced green onions for topping
Directions
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Brown the beef and onions together in a large pot over medium heat until beef is cooked through and onions are soft. Once cooked through, you can drain the fat if you like.
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If not, go ahead and add everything else into the pot (as easy as that). You may want to melt the chocolate before adding it, but it might not make a difference, up to you. You also may want to start with less seasoning than the recipe calls for and adjust to taste, especially after allowing it to simmer for some time.
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Let simmer on medium-low heat for 45 minutes to an hour, or until flavors blend together. Serve with plenty of green onions, cheddar cheese (or any cheese of your choice -- I used smoked gouda because that was what we had and it was amazing), and more jalapenos if you like.
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