Uptown Down-Home Chili

This is the third chili recipe I've posted on this blog, but I'm of the belief that chili recipes, like macaroni and cheese recipes, are simply one thing that you can't have too much of.  I first posted a vegetarian chili recipe that had plenty of beans, but no meat.  Then I posted a steakhouse chili recipe that had plenty of meat, but no beans.  Finally a recipe with both meat and beans!

This recipe is courtesy of Rachael Ray, and I found it a couple of weeks ago when I was searching through her cookbooks for something warm and comforting to make to take the chill off.  This is from her Book of 10 cookbook which I've had for a few years and because there are very few pictures in it, I don't use it as often as I should (yes, I love pretty pictures in my cookbooks).  The few recipes I have made, however, are fabulous, in true Rachael fashion, and I really need to start using it more.  This recipe is also on Food Network and if all the postive reviews are any indication, we weren't the only ones to love this.

Anyway, I can't think of anything more perfect on a cold winter's day than some hot, spicy, homemade chili, and this fit the bill perfectly.  This is a wonderful chili, full of flavour and chock full of veggies, beans and meat.  We're big fans of chipotle peppers and just loved the smokiness (and heat) they added.  And don't leave out the mushrooms, they're a wonderful addition, and not something you often see in chili recipes.  As is often the case, this tasted even better the next day and provided a fair amount of leftovers.

Speaking of leftovers, one thing that surprised me was the original recipe states it makes 4 servings. Really Rachael, 4 servings? Those would be incredibly big servings.  I can't even begin to imagine how I'd feel after eating all that chili. We got at least 8 servings out of this.  I did serve this with sweet skillet cornbread (recipe coming next week), which obviously helped to stretch the recipe, but you will definitely get more than 4 servings, even without cornbread.  I would hope.

This was a delicious, hearty chili and without a doubt, will be made again before winter is over.  I highly recommend it.

Enjoy!

Uptown Down-Home Chili
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3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds ground sirloin
2 tablespoons grill seasoning, such as McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning
1/2 pound baby portobello mushrooms, chopped
1/4 pound shiitake mushroom caps, sliced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
4 to 6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 canned chipotle peppers, in adobo, chopped, with their juices, or 2 tablespoons ground chipotle chili powder (that's two peppers, not two cans)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 bottle beer
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained (I used a 19-ounce can)
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes (I used a 28-ounce can)
1 cup beef stock or broth
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
8-ounce piece of smoked Gouda, shredded
1 small white onion, finely chopped

Heat a deep, large skillet or a pot over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and the meat. Season it with grill seasoning and sear it up, browning and crumbling it, for 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer meat to a plate and return pot to stove.

Reduce heat to medium-high and add another tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Add the mushrooms and begin to brown them before adding the other veggies. After 2 or 3 minutes the mushrooms will begin to shrink and soften. Push the mushrooms off to one side of the pot and add all the remaining veggies to the opposite side of the pot. Once the onions, celery, peppers and garlic have been working for a few minutes as well, mix the veggies with the mushrooms. Add the meat back, season with Worcestershire sauce, chipotle in adobo or chipotle powder and cumin. Add in beer to deglaze the pot, scraping up all the pan drippings. Reduce the beer by half, about 2 minutes. Add the black beans (which have been drained), tomatoes, stock and thyme to chili and simmer 10 minutes for flavors to combine. Taste to adjust seasonings. Top bowls of the chili with shredded smoked Gouda and finely chopped raw onions.

Makes about 8 servings.

Source: Rachael Ray's Book of 10 and Food Network

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