Challenge of the month: 

Chili me up!!!

Brrr…….It’s cold outside!!! These take a bit of effort but will last a few days and keep you and your kids warm.  

Prep time: 4 hours --- beans need to soak
Cooking time: approx. 1 ½ hours

What you’ll need:

1 ¾ lbs pinto beans
¾ lb kidney beans
Vegetable stock, chicken stock or water
1 can of beer
2 onions, diced
¼ cup olive oil
2 sweet red peppers, sliced and diced
2 sweet yellow peppers, sliced and diced
2 tablespoon to ¼ cup chopped Serrano chiles
2 ½ cups tomato paste
3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
¼ cup chili powder
1 teaspoon – 1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoon paprika
Juice of 1 orange
1 cup brewed coffee
1/8 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon crushed dried chilies
salt and pepper

Soak pinto and kidney beans in water (make sure water covers all beans) for 4 hours. Drain and rinse. Add 2 ½ to 3 quarts veg. stock and beer to drained beans and cook 1 ½ hours or until beans are tender.  Add as much stock to keep beans covered by 1 inch during cooking.

Saute onions in olive oil until transparent. Add sweet peppers and chilies to taste.  Cook 10 mins. over high heat, stirring often, add tomato paste, tomatoes, chili powder, cayenne to taste, paprika, orange juice, coffee, cocoa and crushed chilies.  Simmer 15 mins.  stirring occasionally.  Add tomato mixture to beans and cook 20 minutes longer over low heat adding 2 to 3 cups move veg. stock to thin, as desired.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Enough for 16-24 servings.   Cut recipe in half for 8-10 servings.

This dish used to be on the menu at a restaurant called the Hollywood Canteen, before they changed their menu.