Sweet Chili

Submitted by evelynathens

"I am trying to reduce the amount of red meat my family eats so this spicy/sweet chili recipe is heavier on the beans. Also, I use no fat other than what the meat renders. Yes, the ingredients list is long, but it’s mostly seasonings and it makes for a chili that’s BIG on flavor. And you’ll just have to trust me on the addition of the cinnamon and cloves – they’ll be your ‘secret’ ingredients from now on. ;-)"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 45mins
• Ingredients: 24
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 1 lb round steak, ground
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, minced
• 2 -3 teaspoons chili powder (we liked it with 2, but up it if you like really spicy)
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cocoa
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, do not drain them
• 1 (16 ounce) bottle tomato passata (or 500ml tetrapak, tomato puree can be subbed if passata is unavailable)
• 1 (16 ounce) can water (just measure in the tomato sauce can)
• 8 ounces Pepsi
• 1⁄2 cup tomato ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper

• Garnishes

• broken-up tortilla chips
• sour cream
• grated cheddar cheese
• diced onion

directions

1. Brown ground round in Dutch oven/pot over medium-high heat. (There is no need to add any oil to Dutch oven. Initially, the meat may stick a bit, but will unstick as you stir it and its juices are released.) If there is any grease in pot after browning, drain meat in colander and add to pot again.
2. Add ALL of the remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste and cook, at a simmer, for 1 to 1 ½ hours, or until chili is thickened to your taste. (If chili is getting too thick, dribble in a little boiling water) Remove bay leaf before serving.
3. Serve at table with garnishes.
4. Note: I cut the onion up into chunks along with the green pepper and garlic and minced them in my mini-processor.

Reviews

[Susie D]

I adapted the recipe to make in the crockpot, but the changes were technique rather than ingredients. After browning the meat I added it to the crockpot and reduced the water by one cup to cook on low most of the day. The end result was different and delicious! The complex flavors had depth. It reminded me of a fusion of greek spaghetti and mexican mole in the best way. Next time though I will chop rather than mince the bell pepper and onion as I thought a chunkier size would fit better with the beans. Good luck in the contest!

 

[Chef Jean]

Really loved the spice blend in there, they made it seem sweet without actually being too sweet! As SusieD already mentioned, I would make the onion and peppers a little larger, but if you have an onion hater in the house smaller might be better! Good Luck!