all american beef chili

this recipe makes a tasty truckload o'chili, so you may want to do as i did and halve the recipe. if you want to make the full recipe, you can just feed a crowd or freeze a bunch of it.

we like our chili pretty spicy and with a good amount of heat around this house, so next time i will either add a jalapeno to it or more red pepper flakes. 

we had ours last night garnished with fresh lime juice, crushed tortilla chips, a little plain yogurt and extra sharp cheddar. tonight, we are having it atop a baked and salt-encrusted potato, with a generous amount of sharp cheddar and little bits of fresh jalapeno!

all american beef chili

via cook's country cookbook (atk)

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped (I used about 1 onion)
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds (85 percent lean) ground beef, we love local turri family farms grass fed beef
2 (15.5 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (28 ounce) can tomato puree

heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.  add the onions, garlic, bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  cook until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.

add  half the beef and increase the heat the medium-high.  cook, breaking up the beef with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. add the rest of the beef and cook about 4 minutes. stir in the beans, diced tomatoes with their juice, tomato puree, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1 hour.

remove the lid and continue to simmer until the beef is tender, about 1 hour.  season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

serve with any of the following-
 lime wedges, sour cream, plain yogurt, corn chips, scallions, hot sauce, fresh jalapeno, diced onion, cilantro, sharp cheddar.