Texas Bowl of Red, Recipe of the Week

 Chili is one of those kinds of foods, like BBQ or fried chicken that gets people jacked up for a good discussion about which recipe is the best. A discussion that can easily turn into a multi-generational feud, if one is not careful. All I know is that I like my chili pretty much like the Texans do, intensely flavored and full of depth. Of course I have learned to add a few extra touches over the years that I think help to raise this dish to a comfortable level of excellence.  If you don’t like it, I would be happy to meet you out in the parking lot after school.
Ingredients

Venison or Beef Top Round            3 pounds cut into ½ inch cubes
Yellow Onions                        2 cups, fine chop
Red Bell Pepper                      1 cups, fine chop
Poblano Chili                        1 each, cleaned and fine chopped
Olive Oil                            3 tablespoons
Garlic Cloves                        4 each, minced
Mexican Oregano                      1 ½ teaspoons
Chipotle Powder                      2 teaspoons
Ancho Chili Powder                   4 tablespoons
Ground Cumin                         1 tablespoon
Fresh Jalpeno                        1 each, small dice
Tomato Sauce                         2 cups
Dry Creek Meritage                   2 cups
Salt & Pepper                        to taste
Vanilla Sugar                        1 tablespoon
Veal Stock                           2 cups
Bittersweet Chocolate                2 ounces
Masa Harina                          2 tablespoons dissolved in ½ cup water
Fresh Cilantro                       1 bunch



Method

Toss venison cubes with dry chipotle powder, ancho chili power, cumin, sugar, salt and pepper then marinating for several hours.

In thick bottomed soup or sauce pan heat olive oil until smoking hot. Add onions, red peppers and garlic and then cook until onions are translucent, remove from pan.

Get pan smoking hot again and brown meat until golden on all sides, add onion mixture and cook for several minutes.

Next add all remaining ingredients except chocolate, cilantro and masa harina and cook at slow simmer for 2 hours with lid on, or until meat falls apart, add water to thin if necessary.

During the last fifteen minutes of cooking add masa for thickening. Then add chocolate and cilantro, stirring constantly to assure that chocolate melts into the chili.

Adjust seasoning and serve with thinly sliced red onions marinated in lime and crème fresh.