I had a request for this recipe from a friend on facebook, and that’s when I realized I’d never posted this one.  This is a great, flavorful way to have chili.  Not that thick, gloopy stuff that makes you feel like a bloated buffalo within ten minutes of finishing it.  It is more like a soup, with lots of different flavors melded together.  As with most chilis and soups, it tastes much better the second day, so if you can cook it one day, and serve it the next, you will be a lot happier with it.  All measurements are approximate, and you can size this recipe up and down as needed for the size of your eating crew.  The recipe below will serve about 10 people, give or take. The “Nine Blossom” in the title of this chili refer to the nine blooming things that are in the ingredient list – all of the spices including the cocoa.

Susabelle’s Nine Blossom Steak Chili

1 pound steak, any kind, cut into small pieces (1/2 inch or smaller) (You can use ground beef/elk/bison if you like)

1 large white or yellow onion, chopped

1 sweet red pepper, seeded and chopped

1 sweet yellow or orange pepper, seeded and chopped

2 T. olive oil

1 t. minced garlic, or 1 T. garlic powder

1 can canelloni or white navy beans

1 can red kidney beans, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 can pinto beans, drained

1 can (smaller) chili hot beans (do not drain)

2 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes (do not drain)

1/2 t. cumin

2 T. chili powder

red pepper flakes to taste (or use hot sauce, or add a chile/jalapeno/ghost pepper of your choice)

Salt and pepper to taste

3 T. cocoa powder

In a large, heavy pot (don’t use a flimsy pot for this), brown the steak, onion, and peppers in olive oil until vegetables are tender.  Add in the garlic (if using fresh) and sautee for one minute.  Add in all remaining ingredients except the cocoa powder.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook for at least two hours.  Stir every once in a while.  If chili becomes dry or too thick, add hot water or warmed plain tomato juice (cold will lower the cooking temperature so try not to do that to keep this cooking consistently).  This should not ever look thick or gloopy; it should be more like a stew-type soup.  Everything should move around fairly freely in the broth.  Add in the cocoa powder, and taste for spice level.  Adjust as needed.  Do not overspice, as the spices become more concentrated as the chili progresses.  Cook for an additional hour before serving.

Serve this with toppings like scallions, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, oyster crackers, etc.  This will taste better if it can refrigerate overnight and be reheated the next day.

Enjoy!

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 17th, 2016 at 10:07 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.