Interstate Chili

Recipe courtesy of Sunny Anderson, Cooking for Real

For the chili:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium Vidalia onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 jalapeno peppers, minced (I skipped)
• 3 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons cayenne
• 1 pound ground beef chuck
• 6 links Mexican chorizo, removed from casings
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons Gravy Master (I’ve never used this before,but at $1.49 for a small bottle, I sprang for it)
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 to 3 bay leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream, for garnish
• 3 cups grated Cheddar, for garnish
• 1 small onion, diced, for garnish

For the chips:

• 1 (10-ounce) bags corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch strips
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• Salt

To prepare the chili: Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, onion, garlic, and jalapenos and saute until tender, about 6 minutes. Add cumin, oregano, chili powder, cinnamon and cayenne and continue to cook, another 5 minutes. Add beef and chorizo and saute until browned, about 10 minutes, breaking meat apart as it cooks. Add Worcestershire, Gravy Master, hot sauce and tomato paste. Continue cooking until tomato paste turns nicely brown and caramelized, another 3 to 4 minutes. Add beef broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook, 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with sour cream, grated cheese, onion and Homemade Tortilla Chips. Chili can be made 2 days in advance and chilled, covered. Reheat before serving.

To prepare the chips: Place oil in a deep pot until it comes almost halfway up the side of the pan. Heat oil to 360 degrees F.

Deep-fry strips, 30 to 45 seconds each side, until crisp and just turning golden. Transfer to paper towel to drain. Sprinkle with salt immediately. Serve with chili.

PRINT