Tex-Mex Chili

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, diced avocado or jalapenos

Directions

1. Warm a small, sturdy skillet on medium-high. Scatter in the cumin and coriander, then toast them, shaking the skillet now and then, until their aroma blooms, about 5 minutes. Pulverize the toasted seeds in a spice grinder, or mash them with a mortar and pestle. Using that same hot skillet, toast fresh oregano if you are using it, but skip this for dried oregano. Pull the leaves out once they have started to dry yet still look green, about 3 minutes. Put them aside.
2. Set a large heavy skillet, Dutch oven, or stockpot over the heat and add the oil. When the oil is very hot, brown the meat in batches, adding more oil as needed. Avoid packing the pan too tightly, since the meat needs room to brown rather than simmer in its juices. As each batch finishes, move it to a paper towel-lined plate. Leave the browned bits in the skillet.
3. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeños, masa harina, pasilla powder, ground toasted cumin and coriander, plus the oregano, whether toasted fresh or dried, to that same skillet. Cook over medium-high, stirring, until the onion starts to soften, 5 to 8 minutes. Put the meat back in the pan, then add the tomatoes, dried whole chiles, beer, chocolate, and water or stock. Cook at a gentle simmer until the meat is tender enough to pull apart with a fork, about 1-1/2 hours. Take out the whole chiles before you serve the chili.