Welcome to New England...a land of stately lighthouses and craggy coastlines; of white church steeples and breathtaking fall leaves; of friendly country stores and romantic old inns; of winding mountain lanes and thriving cities. And from this glorious setting, over 500 recipes have been collected to capture the marvelous cuisine of the New England states of Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.
Good chili, like chowder, gets better after a couple of days. We sell so much of this chili in our Boston stores it's a wonder Boston isn't famous for chili instead of baked beans. If you preftr, you can make this classic chili with strips of lean beef rather than ground beef.
Servings: 8-10
3 medium onions
10 medim doves garlic
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 pounds lean ground beef
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons corn flour (masa harina--in the imported foods section)
3 (3-ounce) cans mild green chiles drained (or hot if you prefer your chili very spicy)
2 (16-ounce) cans red kidney bcans, drahed
l (1-pound, 13-ounce)can whole tomatoes, undrained
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
Grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, diced red onion, sour cream, and chopped green chiles for topping
Chop the onions into 1/2-inch dice. Mince the garlic. Heat the oil in a large, heavy non-aluminum pot over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Saute the chopped onions and garlic for about 3 minutes, stirring, until the onions are translucent. Add the ground beef and sear, breaking up any large chunks of beef with a spoon.
In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, chili powder, cayenne, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, and corn flour. Sprinkle the mixture over the meat, reduce the heat to medium, and stir. Add the chopped chilies, kidney beans, canned tomatoes with their liquid, tomato paste, and beef broth. Stir well, breaking up the tomatoes with the spoon. Bring the chili to a boil, raising the heat if necessary.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer the chili for 2-3 hours.
Serve with grated cheese, diced red onion, sour cream, and chopped green chilies to top.
