Winter means working my way through half a side of beef in the freezer, so I’m always on the lookout for new ways to prepare ground beef. I tried this “Chili with Moroccan Spices” from a Cook’s Illustrated cookbook this weekend, and I entered it into my church’s annual chili cook-off. I didn’t win, but I suspect the voting was rigged—the Moroccan chili was divine. Actually, it tasted even better the next day left over. Maybe next year I’ll prepare it a day ahead and re-warm it!
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, minced
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 pounds ground beef
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes (with liquid)
1 (28-ounce) can tomato puree
1 cup raisins
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Method:
Mix the spices (first 8 ingredients) together in a small bowl and set aside. Using a large Dutch oven over medium heat, sautee the onions and bell pepper in the vegetable oil for 8 minutes. Add the garlic for 30 seconds, then add the spices for another minute (careful not to burn the spices). Increase the heat to medium-high, add the beef, and cook for 5 minutes while breaking up the beef as much as possible. Add the the diced tomatoes with their juice, the drained chickpeas, the raisins, and the tomato puree. Bring it to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 1 hour (stirring occasionally). Then simmer for another 45 minutes uncovered to thicken the sauce a bit. (Note: if the chili is ever sticking to the bottom of the pot, add a little water.) Remove from heat and add the lemon zest and lemon juice. Awesome!
The beauty of chili is that you can keep adding leftover anything to it, chicken, pork, any kind of vegetables, more tomatoes, and spices. Just like in the days of cattle drives. When we make chili, whatever is left over is continually morphing into a more eclectic chili.