nose-tinglin' chili
a flexible method for a party-pleasing spicy chili party
For me, cooking is creativity. Cooking is expression and problem solving. Cooking is flexibility. Cooking is play and exploration and patience. Cooking is meditation and cooking is…pure joy. The best dishes tease your senses, flirt with your palette, and keep you wanting just one. more. taste. I love the experience of creating something just right and it feels like pure decadence to share that with people I care about so deeply.
Sometimes, on particularly lonely days, I find myself eager to host a gathering of friends at our dinner table, imagining scrumptious plates served with generous heaps of laughter and friendship. I imagine each person following the scent from my kitchen and arriving at our door, saliva pooling at their mouth’s edge. As we open the door to greet our friends, the heat from the stove and the warmth from our home envelopes us all. For me, cooking can be a salve for this loneliness.
The dish below is an example of a low-effort big-payoff dish that’s perfect to share with a group of friends, especially when you’re lonely or down in the dumps. It’s a perfect accompaniment to a cold beer, a playlist of favorite pick-me-up jams, and a scathing game of hearts (where someone always tries to shoot the moon….ahem, Ben). This dish might require a bit of up-front work (mostly chopping) but then it’s a pure set-and-forget it attitude. You’re telling me you’re so lonely you can’t even dream of all this chopping and prep work? I’ll tell ya what –– that makes this dish perfect for hosting. Hand your friend a knife and chopping block and get to work together. You’d be amazed at the heartfelt conversations you might have while working alongside one another, and you won’t have to do the dishes alone. If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll find the same salve for your feelings in your own kitchen.
My goal for this newsletter is to share my flavor palette with friends both new and old, and I can’t do that without your help. Share with your friends to keep these good eats coming straight to your tastebuds, and hit the subscriber chat to let me know what you think!
INGREDIENTS
Chili Paste
3-4 large dried hot chiles (eg: New Mexican red), seeds + stems removed, and torn into 1” pieces
3-4 small dried hot chiles (eg: arbol or pequin), seeds + stems removed, and torn into 1” pieces
Chili
1 lb ground meat (pork, beef, or vegan option)1
1 medium white onion, diced
1-2 red bell peppers, diced
3-4 large garlic cloves, finely diced
Dried oregano
Kosher salt
3-4 chipotle peppers packed in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1/3 c tomato paste
15 oz whole tomatoes packed in juice, chopped
28 oz diced tomatoes packed in juice
16 oz dark kidney beans, drained
12 oz sweet white corn kernels, drained
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar in a pinch)
Fennel seed
Cumin seed
Smoked paprika
Ancho chili powder or cayenne pepper
1-2 c broth or stock (chicken, beef, or vegetable)
1 can of beer, preferably Mexican lager
Garnishes + Serving
Diced onions, chopped cilantro, sliced black olives, sour cream or Greek yogurt, shredded cheese, lime wedges, fresh tortillas or tortilla chips
INSTRUCTIONS
Add all dried chiles to a Dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until slightly darkened and giving off an intense roasted aroma, 2 to 5 minutes. Turn down the heat if they start to smoke or darken too quickly. Add 1 cup of water; it should immediately boil. Reduce heat so the water barely simmers, and cook until chiles have softened. Transfer the chiles and liquid to a blender and blend at high speed, scraping sides down as necessary, until a completely smooth puree is formed. Set this puree aside.
Without rinsing the Dutch oven, add olive oil and heat over medium flame. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking it down with a wooden spoon, until the fat has rendered and some spots are turning brown. Do not drain; the rendered fat will not turn the chili greasy and instead will homogenize as the chili simmers.
While the meat browns, add the fennel seed, cumin seed, smoked paprika, and ancho chili powder or cayenne pepper to a mortar and pestle to grind until it forms a fine powder. Smell those delicious aromas deeply and set them aside.
Add the diced onion, red pepper, garlic, oregano, and salt to the pot. Cook, stirring frequently until the onions and peppers have softened. Add the chipotles and reserved chile puree from Step 1. Cook, stirring frequently until the puree reduces and begins to sizzle and fry, maybe even brown at the edges. Add the tomato paste and ground spice mix and cook, stirring frequently until everything comes together.
Add the full can of beer and scrape up any brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the Dutch oven. Add both cans of tomatoes, kidney beans, corn, soy sauce and 1 cup broth.2 Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors have developed and chili is thickened to desired consistency.3 Adjust the texture by adding more broth or another beer and stir in vinegar just before serving.
To Serve: ladle chili into bowls and add various toppings: sour cream, green onion, salsa matcha, etc.
If you’d like this recipe to be vegan-friendly, simply omit the meat or choose a plant-based option. Same goes with stock: just use vegetarian or vegan-friendly options!
If you don’t have broth on hand, add this magic to your cart immediately. The name says it all (it truly is better than a bullion cube) and it lasts a loooooong time in your fridge. If you really can’t manage, just use water but please understand you’ll be diluting flavor with this method and might need to adjust your seasonings accordingly.
This could be anywhere from 30 minutes if you’re starving to a couple of hours if you lose track of time. Know that the longer this chili simmers, the better the flavor will be, but it will also increase the spice level.