Chorizo Chili

As many of you know, Steve is a snowboarder...and avid snowboarder.  From the first week of November to the early weeks of April, we spend a LARGE amount of time at various ski slopes.  Sometimes we stay up there renting condos and other times (because we're poor) we come home.  Either way, this dish is something I can put on in the morning, and come home to in the late afternoon with great anticipation.  This is a chili recipe, I'm SURE would win an award!  One of the things we love to do, is bake some french fries, put them in the bottom of the soup bowl and pour this delicious concoction over the top- then pour a pepper-jack cheese sauce (recipe at the bottom) over all of it.  ENJOY!!

This recipe is in the range of a two-three alarm spiciness.  

Makes 6 servings (8 cups)
Preparation time:  20 minutes
Cooking time:  3-4 hours (high heat)
                        7-8 hours (low heat)

1 lb. beef stew meat
         salt & pepper
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil (I use olive oil)
1 28 oz. can fire-roasted tomatoes or diced tomatoes in juice (this is a controversial ingredient as I have read <extensively> that canned tomatoes are "7 Foods That Should Never Cross Your Lips"  due to the resin linings of tin cans containing bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. The solution: Choose tomatoes in glass bottles (which do not need resin linings), I choose Bionaturae (which are delicious!) or Coluccio (both of which are available at our grocery store chains as well as Whole Foods)
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed (see above for my opinion about canned foods < I try and not  buy anything in a can and again, purchase these in a jar- they are a little more expensive but I'm trying to be conscious of EVERYTHING we eat)
1 10 oz. tube Mexican chorizo (I buy the chorizo directly from the butcher)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1-2 Tbsp. minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce (this is one thing I can not find in a a jar and therefore buy in a can)
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. minced fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried oregano. 


Season stew meat with salt and pepper; brown mean in oil in a skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
Combine stew meat, tomatoes, beans, chorizo, onion, corn, garlic, chili powder, chipotle in adobo sauce, cumin, and oregano in a 4- to 5-qt. slow cooker.  use a wooden spoon to break the chorizo into chunks.
Cover chili and cook until beef is tender on high heat setting for 3-4 hours or on low-heat setting for 7-8 hours.

PEPPER-JACK CHEESE SAUCE WITH FRENCH FRIES

Pepper-jack Cheese Sauce

 
1 lb. frozen french fries
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup pepper jack cheese (4 oz.)






Prepare fries according to package directions.
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk flour; cook for 1-2 minutes.
Gradually add milk, whisking until smooth.  Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer mixture for 5 minutes
Whisk in cheese until melted.  Cook.
Spoon sauce over chorizo chili over french fries. 

DELICIOUS!!