Brigitte’s Recipe of the Month: Award-Winning Chili

This is adapted from a chili recipe I saw on the Food Network years ago. Over time, I’ve added to it and tweaked it to make it my own. Don’t add too much molasses – this will cut the heat of the chilies (this is one thing I found out trying to add more and more peppers for heat). So I didn’t get it to a 10 for the heat lovers at Roadside, but it was still soooo yummy. Of course, you can garnish the chili with cheese and sour cream, if desired.

Doesn’t key lime pie sound like the perfect refresher after this? So I HAD to make that also, of course

Each recipe serves 8.

Pretty Authentic Award-Winning Chili

2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
2 lbs beef chuck stew meat cut into 1 inch pieces
½ lb ground beef
12 oz chorizo
1 large onion, chopped
¼ cup chili powder
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 teaspoons cumin
3 bay leaves
2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
2 14.5 oz cans beef broth
2 14.5 oz fire roasted tomatoes, drained
1 cup cilantro chopped
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 (or more)  jalapenos split lengthwise a few times
1 (or more)  canned chipotle peppers chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Brown the stew meat in batches and set aside in a bowl. Add ground beef, chorizo, onions, and garlic to pot and brown. After browning, add cocoa, cumin, oregano, and chili powder and sauté for a minute or two. Return stew meat to pot and stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer for two hours or until meat is tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Key Lime Pie

1 packaged graham cracker crust
2 (14 ounce) cans condensed milk
1 cup key lime or regular lime juice
1 tablespoon lime zest
2 large eggs
1 cup whipped cream
2 heaping tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk, lime juice, zest, and eggs. Whisk until well blended and place filling in pie shell. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then chill in refrigerator for 2 hours.

Whip cream until thickened, add sour cream, lime juice, and sugar to taste and continue whipping to desired consistency. Serve with pie!