Bowl of Red

Seems like everyone is making chili! With beans, without beans, with beef, vegan or whatever! Is it because of the fiery warming goodness on a cold night, Super Bowl parties or just because we love our bowls of red? Talk about subliminal messaging hitting the target, this weekend I had to have me my own.

It's been so long I almost forgot chili beans

Chili with beans and cocoa

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It's been a long time chili beans
6-8 servings

Ingredients
1  16 oz package dried pink beans
2 tbl olive oil
1 lb lean ground beef (20% fat or less)
1 ½ cups chopped red onion
1 ½ cups chopped red bell pepper
1 lg fresh jalapeno pepper (about 2 tbl finely chopped)
1 inferno chili chopped
3 pasilla/ancho chili peppers re-hydrated and blended
3 cloves garlic chopped
2 cups beef broth
1 15 oz can Mexican Style Stewed Tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 ½ tsp kosher salt

Spice Blend
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Roasted Ground Cumin
1 tsp Dried Oregano
½ tsp ground California Chili Powder
¼ tsp ground red cayenne pepper
2 tbl unsweetened cocoa powder
1 pinch red chili flakes

Prep
Place pasilla/ancho chilis in medium bowl, cover with hot water to rehydrate. Let soak at least 30 minutes, drain, remove stems and then process in blender until smooth. Add a bit of strained water for pouring consistency (about 1 tablespoon.)
I used the quick soak method to precook the pink bean before adding to the chili mixture.
Combine spice blend in prep bowl.

Directions
Heat olive oil In heavy bottom 6 qt pot.
Cook onion, red bell pepper, chili peppers until slightly softened, add garlic and cook a couple minutes more and then push to the outside of the pot.
Crumble in the ground beef in center of pot and brown. Add salt and pepper. Drain off any  rendered fat as it will just boil your beef and not make it crispy.
Deglaze with beef broth, add tomatoes and tomato sauce, bring to a boil.
Add spice mixture and blended pasilla/ancho chilis.
Add precooked drained beans, cover and reduce to low boil/simmer for 1 ½-2 hrs before serving.
Taste for salt and add at the very end. I added about 1 ½ tsp.