Homemade Chili

• 1.5 pounds of lean ground beef
• 1 onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 poblano pepper
• 1 Anaheim chile
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 can of diced tomato
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste
• 1 can of kidney beans or black beans
• Chili powder
• Cumin
• Oregano
• Red pepper flakes
• 2 Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce
• 2 tbs of maple syrup

First I chopped the onion and sauteed it in a bit of olive oil. (I seasoned with salt and pepper after every major ingredient went in.) Then I added all of the peppers and seasonings to toast in the oil. Then I added the garlic and tomato paste to concentrate the flavors. Next I added half of the ground meat and cooked until it started to brown, then I added the second half. After the meat was no longer pink, I stirred in the tomatoes and the rinsed kidney beans. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low and simmer with the lid on for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Then remove the lid and cook for another hour, add liquid if it starts to stick to the bottom of the pot. Toward the end I started to feel like the flavors needed to deepen and be a bit smokier, so I added the minced chipotles in Adobo and the maple syrup, which really seemed to round out the chili nicely and helped kick up the spice a bit. I will also note that you need to add quite a bit of chili powder, probably near 1/4 of a cup, but I added it throughout the cooking process and kept tasting along the way.

Serve with homemade cornbread or some chips and cheese!