Chilpotle and Black Bean Chili

I used this recipe without the meat and beans to create a great chili starter, canned in pint jars and accompanied by a small packet of ground hot peppers, made it a great gift for friends and neighbors.

Ingredients

1. 1.5 lbs. ground beef or turkey
2. 2 Tbs. vegetable oil
3. 3/4 c. diced onion
4. 3/4 c. diced green pepper
5. 1 Jalapeno Pepper, minced
6. 3 cloves Garlic, minced
7. 2 Tbs. chili powder
8. 2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
9. 2 tsp. ground cumin
10. 2 14 oz. cans of chicken broth (reduced sodium)
11. 1 16 oz. jar of Chunky Salsa (I like Pace, medium)
12. 1 15 oz. jar of black beans, drained and rinsed
13. 1 15 oz. jar of white hominy, drained and rinsed
14. 1 6 oz. can of Tomato paste.
15. 1-2 chilpotle peppers prepared as described below
16. 1 tsp reserved adobo sauce prepared as described below
17. 2-4 Tbs. fine ground cornmeal or masa harina.

Preparation of the "Chilpotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce":  The peppers come in a small cans (7 oz.) and can be found in most markets including Walley World. You may want to wear gloves for this step as the chilies are very hot. Open the can and remove 1 or 2 of the chilies. Split them lengthwise and scrape out the membranes and seeds as best you can - they are the really hot parts. The peppers will be soft and in a dark sauce so work carefully. Take the peppers and mince them very finely. For the Adobo sauce, just use a small teaspoon to dip out the needed amount from the can. Place the remaining peppers and sauce in a small tupperware container and save the fridge.



Directions

In a large skillet, cook ground meat until brown and all water has evaporated. Drain off any oil and add to a large soup pot or 4-5 quart slow cooker.

Heat skillet again, add oil and saute the onions and peppers (green and Jalapeno) until just translucent, about 3 minutes or so. Add the garlic and saute for an additional minute. Add the spices to the skillet and continue to saute for another minute or so until the spices have heated through. Add the onions, peppers and spices to the crock pot. Dump a cup of the chicken broth to the skillet and deglaze the pan over low heat. When all the bits in the skillet have loosened, dump it into the crock with the remaining chicken broth and all of the other ingredients except the chipolte peppers and adobo sauce.

 Place the chili in the slow cooker and once the chili is up to temperature, taste the chili and add the minced chilpotle peppers and adobo sauce a little at a time until you get the heat and taste you like. Make sure add at least a little of the peppers and adobo sauce, otherwise you do not get any of the smokey hotness from the peppers (they are smoked jalapeno peppers, btw.) You can add more of the other spices and seasonings (chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt) at this time too so you get the the taste that is to your liking.

Let the chili cook in the slow cooker on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2 hours and enjoy. Shortly before serving, mix the cornmeal flour (or masa harina) in enough water to form a thin paste. While stirring the chili, add the flour and water slowly. It will thicken up the chili and add a little body. If your chili is too thick after adding the cornmeal flour, add some water until it is the consistency you prefer.