Hearty Beef Chili

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August 6, 2020

Cold, grey days don’t happen too often in LA.

But every now and then there’s a few hours, maybe even a whole evening, where the sky goes cloudy and a cold breeze rolls through. It’s those cloudy, stay-in-bed days that Chili is the perfect dish to warm up with while snuggled on the couch watching a rom-com.

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef (85%)
15 oz can crushed tomatoes
6 oz can tomato paste
4 oz can of fire roasted green chiles
1 can red kidney beans, drained
1 cup chicken stock
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 large white onion, coarsely chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp of each spice:
- garlic powder
- red cayenne powder
- oregano
- red chili flakes
- thyme

Toppings, optional but highly recommended:

Sliced green olives *sounds weird but TRUST me on this one, it’s the best little salt bomb to go along with a bite of chili
Chives
Raw white onion, chopped
Sliced avocado
Shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese
Cilantro
Lime
Sour cream *plain, whole greek yogurt is a great substitute for more tang and nutrition!
Hot sauce *my fave is Siracha or Cholula

Recipe

Heat a skillet on medium-high. Once hot, coat the bottom of the skillet with 1 tbsp EVOO and add ground beef to brown. As it cooks, use your wooden spoon to break apart the beef to smaller pieces. The beef should be browned well but doesn’t need to be cooked entirely through as it will finish cooking in the pot. Before finished, add Worcestershire and set aside.
Heat a large pot on medium-high, add 2 tbsp EVOO and sauté celery, onion, and garlic.
Add tomato paste and heat until paste is dark, brick red.
Add canned tomatoes, kidney beans, chicken stock, bay leaves, spices, and salt and pepper to taste.
Turn heat to low, add beef, and let simmer for an hour minimum. If you have the time to simmer for longer, skip adding the beans and simmer 3 hours, adding the beans near the tail end.
When ready, serve your guests full, hot bowls and let them with go crazy with toppings!