Good Basic Chili

Source: Penzey's Spices

This Chili is low in fat, about 1/2 tsp. or 15 calories per cup. Great with a sandwich on a cold day or as a meal with shredded cheddar cheese or a dollop of your favorite sour cream on top, with fresh buttered bread on the side. Serves six to eight and leftovers freeze well. Start with the full amount of regular or medium chili powder and add extra hot pepper to taste for the full range of chili flavor. If you use less than the full 3 TB. the recipe calls for, the result will be more like tomato soup with beef.

2 lbs. ground beef
3 TB. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic minced or 1/2 tsp. dry GARLIC
1/2 tsp. fresh ground BLACK PEPPER
1 tsp. GROUND CUMIN
1/2 tsp. ground CHIPOTLE PEPPER
1/2 to 1 1/2 tsp. CRUSHED RED PEPPERS
3 TB. CHILI POWDER
3 Cups water
1 - 26 oz. can tomato puree
2 - 16 oz.cans no salt added chopped tomatoes
2 - 16 oz. cans kidney beans, drained
1-2 tsp. salt

Brown beef in two batches in thick soup kettle. Drain off fat and set beef aside. Heat 3 TB. oil in kettle over medium high heat, adding onions when hot. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Add red bell pepper and GARLIC, continuing to cook 2-3 more minutes. Add BLACK PEPPER, GROUND CUMIN, CHIPOTLE and HOT RED PEPPERS to taste plus CHILI POWDER while continually stirring until spices begin to stick to bottom of kettle and brown (about 30-45 seconds). Quickly add 3 cups water. Add tomato puree, chopped tomatoes and the juice they were packed in. Add kidney beans and salt. Add the beef but try not to include any fat that may have accumulated. Stir. When chili begins to boil, reduce heat to low and cover. Ideally chili should be simmered 3 hours to let all the flavors blend together. Stir about every 15 minutes, while checking to make sure the heat is not too high, causing the chili to stick to the bottom of the kettle. If you don't have 3 hours, use less CHIPOTLE and HOT PEPPERS or else they will overpower the other flavors.