Uptown Down-Home Chili

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 pounds ground sirloin
• 2 tablespoons grill seasoning (recommended: McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning) a palm full
• 1/2 pound baby Portobello mushrooms, chopped
• 1/4 pound shiitake mushroom caps, sliced
• 1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
• 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped, with their juices or 1 generous palm full ground chipotle chili powder, about 2 tablespoons
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin, half a palm full
• 1 bottle imported beer (recommended: Stella Artois (...imported just 'cause we're Uptown and that's all they drink here.)
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup beef stock (8-ounce box)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
• 8-ounce piece smoked Gouda, shredded
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped

 Directions

1. Heat a deep, large skillet or a pot over high heat. 
2. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and the meat. Season it with grill seasoning and sear it up, browning and crumbling it, for 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer meat to a plate and return pot to stove. 
3. Reduce heat to medium- high and add another tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Add the mushrooms and begin to brown them before adding the other veggies. After 2 or 3 minutes the mushrooms will begin to shrink and soften. Push the mushrooms off to one side of the pot and add all the remaining veggies to the opposite side of the pot surface. 
4. Once the onions, celery, peppers and garlic have been working for a few minutes as well, mix the veggies with the mushrooms. 
5. Add the meat back, season with Worcestershire sauce, chipotle in adobo or chipotle powder and cumin. Add in beer to deglaze the pot, scraping up all the pan drippings. Reduce the beer by half, about 2 minutes.
6. Add the black beans, tomatoes, stock and thyme to chili and simmer 10 minutes for flavors to combine. Taste to adjust seasonings. 
7. Top bowls of the chili with shredded smoked Gouda and finely chopped raw onions. 

Notes: this recipe takes some time and effort...lots of ingredients and lots of chopping, but it's super yummy so it's worth it. It is a little bit spicy so you may want to adjust seasonings for younger kids.

Contributed by: Heather Vataha

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