Marion's Chili
Besides meat, beans and various spices, this weeknight-quick chili includes surprises like red wine and coffee.
Servings 4 with possible leftovers
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground sirloin or ground turkey breast (see Kitchen Notes)
- 1 tablespoon New Mexico chile powder
- 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder (or all New Mexico or 4 teaspoons of your favorite chile powder)
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- a big grinding of black pepper
- 1/2 – 1 cup beef or chicken broth or water
- about 1/2 of a 750ml bottle of dry red wine plus more if needed
- 1 cup black coffee (see Kitchen Notes)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 medium onion, chopped coarsely
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 15- ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15- ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15- ounce can pink beans or red beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 bay leaf
- salt
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium flame in a large sauté pan. Add the ground meat and brown, breaking up with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain the meat on a paper towel-lined plate, then return it to the pan.
- Add the chile powder, cumin, cayenne, black pepper, wine, stock, coffee, soy sauce and onion. Stir together and begin to heat. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the beans and bay leaf. Stir.
- Simmer gently for half an hour, checking from time to time to make sure it isn’t getting too dry. If necessary, adjust the liquid with wine or stock.
- When it tastes all melded together, it’s ready—at least 1/2 hour. Discard the bay leaf, adjust seasonings with salt and serve.
Kitchen Notes
The meat of the matter. This is really good with ground sirloin, but it is also really good with ground turkey, especially with the coffee thrown into the mix, which enhances the meaty umami side.
For the coffee. I recommend using decaf coffee. Honestly, you can even use decaf instant coffee—choose a good quality instant. We use Medaglia d’Oro Italian Roast Decaffeinated.