The Perfect Chili

The Portugarians's Note:

After testing out a number of chili recipes, none were quite what I was looking for. I decided to come up with a chili of my own, and here it is. My whole family (including two fairly picky toddlers) just loves it! It's fairly quick and easy to make, and doesn't have a long long list of ingredients. If you're looking for a simple, straightforward and pretty darn delicious chili, this is definitely the recipe for you...

• Total Time: 1 hrs 45 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium red bell pepper , chopped
• 1 medium onion , chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• salt
• pepper
• 2 ¼ teaspoons cumin
• 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (OR 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes)
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 (14 ½ ounce) can tomatoes (diced or crushed)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp cold water
• 1 tablespoon chili sauce (I use Heinz)
• 1 (15 ½ ounce) can dark red kidney beans

For Topping

• sour cream
• grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.
2. Add pepper and onion and saute until they soften, about 8 minutes.
3. Add ground beef, and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Once beef is browned, add the cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and parsley. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Add tomatoes, sugar, cocoa powder, vegetable broth, corn starch and chili sauce.
6. Simmer for 1 hour.
7. Drain and rinse kidney beans. Add to chili and cook for about 20 minutes more.
8. Serve with sour cream and grated cheddar cheese.
9. We recommend pairing this with Recipe Junkie's "Custard Corn Bread" #352762.