Lazy Sunday Chili

Its cold these days, even on the West Coast. I woke up to 55 degrees inside the house and 23 degrees outside. All I want for today is a hot coffee, staying in my Pajamas and eat something hot and spicy at one point of the day. After I got my cappuccino, talked with my mum and my friend in Germany, played Candy Crush and run out of my 5 lives, I thought Chili Con Carne would make for a good dinner. And since I usually have a can of tomato’s, beans and corn in the pantry and a beef chuck or some kind of stew meat in the freezer, I could even stay in my Pajamas and didn’t had to leave the house. I like making Chili out of beef chuck or stew meat, its heartier than making it with ground beef and I think the spices get absorbed better in stew meat than ground beef and with Chili its all about the spices. Its a one pot dinner, doesn’t need a lot of attention, doesn’t create a lot of dishes and left overs can be frozen for next weeks meal or made into very delicious quesadilla’s. The perfect dish for a lazy Sunday.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onions (if you don’t like onions leave them out and use 1 teaspoon onion powder)
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne
2 pounds stew meat, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon Crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
3 cups crushed tomatoes
¼ cup tomato paste
8 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons (masa) flour
4 tablespoons water
1 cup canned dark red kidney beans or corn (you can use both or just either or depending on what you prefer)
Garnish:tortilla chips, Avocado, Sour Cream, grated Mexican cheese

Recipe:

In a large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and saute for 3 to 5 minutes.
Season the meat with salt and cayenne pepper.
Mix the chili powder, cumin, crushed red pepper, paprika, garlic salt and oregano in a small bowl, set aside.
Brown the meat for 5 to 6 minutes, then add the spice mixture and brown for 1 more minute – your kitchen will smell very fragrant.
Stir in the garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, and beef stock. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
Simmer covered for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
30 minutes before the chili is done, toss in the beans/corn.
If you like the meat to fall apart you can cook it even longer or you can shred the meat with a fork.
When the meat is cooked to your liking, mix together the water and flour and stir it into the cooking liquid – start with 1/4 to 1/2 of the flour/liquid mixture and let it cook for a minute and see if you would like your chili be thicker then pour in the rest.
Ladle the chili into soup cups and garnish with avocado pieces, sour cream and grated cheese and serve Tortilla Chips or hot tortillas on the side for dipping.

Stay warm and don’t forget to bring in your furry friends – its cold outside!