Chili

I grew up in a small town.  There were town meetings held in the high school cafeteria, with heated debates about septic tank usage.  It was the kind of town in which children were taught by the same teachers that their parents had been, and every now and then, a classmate would receive a textbook with her mother's name scrawled in the front cover.  We walked to the playground, we walked to the lake, we walked to school and home again.

It was also the kind of town with a fair every fall.  It was mostly vendors, selling fudge and popcorn, hair clips and Christmas ornaments.  But there also were competitions.  Biggest pumpkin and the like.  Food contests for best salsa or pie - and of course, best chili.  

You would pay a few dollars for the privilege of sampling every chili offered.  There are the red chilis and the green chilis (and the occasional white).  The controversy about beans or no beans in chili (the International Chili Society says no), and of course whether or not there is any such thing as "vegetarian chili."  The only fact we can all agree upon is that chili requires heat, and while this recipe is fairly mild, you can always crank up the volume.

It's impossible to feel anything but deeply satisfied when your belly is full of chili.  It's a stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal.  My wife and her sister go on about my mother-in-law's chili, and I've had it; it's a good chili.  But since they live with me, mine will have to do when the craving strikes.  It might not win any chili competitions for now, but I won't give up hope that someday that prize could be mine.

Chili
Serves 6

1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
1 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T chili powder
1 T cumin
2 t oregano
1 1/2 lb ground beef
2 c chicken broth
3 c cooked beans (use black, kidney, or a mixture thereof)
2 c diced tomatoes
1 c tomato puree
salt and pepper

Saute onion and pepper in olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven until soft, about 10 minutes.  Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, and oregano.  Saute for another minute.

Add ground beef and cook until browned.  Add chicken broth, beans, diced tomatoes, and tomato puree.  Stir.  Cover pot and cook on medium heat for an hour.  Stir.  Slightly vent lid and cook for another half hour, or until done, up to an hour.  Season with salt and pepper.