nate-recipe

it's chilly season...so it's chili season.

here's one i can't even eat anymore. Coconut Chipotle Chili. this is a repost from my old myspace blog. it fits better here...and it's on my mind because i'm trying to decide how to make this in pescetarian form. i'm thinking scallops and shrimp, but maybe a nice white fish would do well, too.

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so...i've always made pretty dang good chili, if i do say so myself. but chili is sort of hard to screw up, too. but tonight i found that all the other cooking i've been learning is paying off. i'm starting to pass the recipe phase and am getting into experimentation.

so, normally my chili is pretty much ground chuck, red kidney beans, a couple of cans of stewed tomatoes, about 6 fresh tomatoes (roma), 2-4 jalepenos, fresh garlic, black olives...and some salt and pepper. but yesterday when shopping at the little hispanic market down the street, i decided to try a few different things. so...below is the recipe, which is just as much for me to remember as it is for maybe a person or two to try it.

and i made a LOT of chili...there were four of us for dinner, plus i wanted to eat some for the next few days or so...which could be a week based on how much there is!

ingredients: (you should probalby cut this in half)

2 lbs ground chuck
2 30 oz cans of red kidney beans
2 30 oz. cans of black beans
4 15 oz cans of stewed tomatoes
1 15 oz can of black olives
1 small can of whole chipotle peppers
8 Roma tomatoes
3 whole fresh jalepeno peppers
8 cloves of fresh garlic
2 tsps of salt
1 tsps of pepper
1 whole fresh coconut
1 8 oz can of coconut milk

ok...first, i chopped 8 cloves of garlic. wouldn't exactly call it minced, but pretty finely chopped. then i browned 2 lbs of ground chuck. after it was browned, i threw in the garlic, and about 2 tsps of salt and one of black pepper. i mixed this up for a bit, drained off a little grease, and then let it simmer while i prepared the rest of the ingredients.

in a very large stockpot i put 2 large cans of red kidney beans (with the water also), 2 large cans of black beans (also with the water), 4 regular cans of stewed tomatoes, and started this over a low heat. i then diced 8 roma tomatoes, sliced 3 fresh jalepeno peppers and one can of black olives. i mixed this in and continued to let it cook over low heat. now comes the fun part. i drained the milk from a fresh coconut and stirred it in. i then grated about 1/2 of the coconut and mixed it in as well. and finally added one small can of whole chipotle peppers. it took approixmately 15 minutes for all this, during which time the beef had been simmering.

i drained the grease and added the beef, along with two packets of chili seasoning (it was a big pot) to the bean/tomato/coconut blend, and mixed it gently. the nice thing here is that the red kidney beans stayed firm and whole, while the black beans broke down a bit in cooking and thickened up the liquid. i then let the whole pot sit covered over a medium heat for about 45 minutes.

i wish i could explain the taste to you. the combination of chipotle and coconut milk sweetened the chili slightly, but it still had the edge of the chipotles, jalepenos, and chili seasoning. it is the best chili i've ever made, and i think it might be the best i've ever had. so...somebody should try to make it and see what they think. i'd love to hear about it. and if you have any questions about it, just send me a message...i'll answer what i can.

bon appetit! i love cooking!!!

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btw, this recipe has been tested and approved by a few friends. feel free to mess with it a little...and be sure to comment with alterations.