Colorado Chili

You're in for a real kick and some serious flavor with this recipe for Colorado Chili. You won't find beans or ground beef in chili recipes like this; but you will find serious chunks of beef and zesty peppers. Take your senses on a tasty wild ride.

Ingredients

6 dried ancho or pasilla chilies
3 1/2 cups beef broth
3 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut in 1/2
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, crushed & finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin seed
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cornmeal, optional

Instructions

Remove stems and seeds from chilies. Coarsely chop chilies. Place in bowl, cover with boiling beef broth and let steep for 30 minutes.
Heat oil in large Dutch oven, add onion and cook, stirring constantly, until soft and lightly browned. Add garlic, salt and beef cubes. Cook, stirring constantly, just until beef loses its pink color. Strain chilies, reserving liquid and chilies.
Stir 2 1/2 cups of chili liquid into beef. Stir in chili powder and ground cumin seed and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Place soaked chilies and remaining liquid in blender container, cover and blend until smooth. (If necessary, add 1/2 cup more of water to make blending easier.) Add mixture to beef and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until meat is tender.
If a thicker chili is desired, gradually stir in cornmeal 1 tablespoon at a time then cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Taste and season with salt as desired.
Remove from heat and ladle into bowls. Serve with a variety of condiments such as chopped yellow peppers, red onions, tomatoes, avocado, fresh lime juice or grated cheese. Makes twelve 1/2-cup servings