Comino Chili con Carne

This hearty slow-simmered chili includes comino—cumin—and other spices in addition to chili powder. The recipe below is spicy: adjust or eliminate red pepper and jalapeno for less heat.

Comino Chili con Carne is great served with rice and corn bread or tortillas. Kids love to add toppings at table. Some suggestions:

• Grated cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese
• Fine-chopped onions
• Sour cream
• Diced bell pepper

Comino Chili con Carne

2 cups cooked pinto beans, reserve cooking liquid
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 pound lean grassfed ground beef
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, deveined and minced
4 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons stone-ground cornmeal
1 heaping tablespoon Demerara or other sugar
1 28-ounce can tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 cup reserved liquid from cooked beans or 1 cup water
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Prepare beans: If possible, use home-cooked pinto beans—rather than canned. The taste and texture makes it worth planning ahead. Rinse a pound of beans, pour beans into crockpot, cover with water and add 1 teaspoon salt. Cover crockpot and simmer beans for several hours. Or cook beans traditionally according to directions on package. When cooked, scoop and drain 2 cups of beans and reserve 2 cups of bean liquid for this recipe. See photos below. Freeze remaining beans in 2-cup portions for future use.






2. Chop onion. I use a mini chopper.






3. In Dutch oven or large heavy pot over medium flame, heat olive oil until fragrant.
4. Add onion. Adjust flame and pan-fry onion until softened—about five minutes.
5. Crush garlic and add to the onions. Continue to stir and pan-fry vegetables another 2 minutes.
6. Add ground beef, separating beef with a spoon or spatula. Cook until pink disappears.






7. Mince jalapeno and add it to the cooked meat along with chili, cumin, red pepper flakes and oregano, stirring to incorporate. Turn down flame and cook, stirring occasionally to fully develop the spices’ flavor.
8. Add cornmeal and continue to cook and stir another few minutes. Note: The cornmeal will thicken the chili later as the chili simmers.
9. Add chopped tomatoes and their juices from the can, sugar and 1 cup reserved bean liquid or water. The mixture will be soupy, see photo below.
10. Turn flame up to bring mixture to simmer, then adjust flame down to keep at low simmer. Cook down mixture, adding extra bean liquid or water as needed, for at least 30 minutes, see photo below.







11. When ready to serve, add beans and salt and pepper to taste. Warm chili until beans are heated through. Serve with rice and toppings.





Serves 6-8.

Tagged as: chili and beans, Comino Chili con Carne, hearty chili, slow-simmered chili, spicy chili

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