Archaellys’ chili is hands down my favorite chili.  True statement right there.  I’m a lucky girl and for the most part this is pretty healthy AND comforting, so when I’m down Arc has been known to make a batch of chili to cheer me up.  That Arc though…

Of course, there are ways to increase the comfort and decrease the health.  Mostly this lies in the amount of cheddar cheese you use to top it.  Sometimes, if it’s an extra hard day and I feel like I deserve it, I like to add an excess of cheddar.  Other times, I like to change it up and use a different cheese, like a light sprinkling of cotija or pecorino romano.  It’s really up to you.

Chili Con Fway

2-3 pounds Ground Beef
1 Onion, chopped
3 heads garlic, minced
4 TBSP Fway Spice (recipe follows)
2 15 oz cans Tomato Sauce
1 15 oz can Refried Beans
2 15 oz cans Kidney Beans
2 15 oz cans Black Beans
2 15 oz cans Pinto Beans
2 15 oz cans Whole Kernel Corn (or use fresh or frozen)
1 2 oz can Chipotle in Adobo

Get out your favorite meat browning pan.  You can one pot this though if you just want to go ahead and brown the meat in a Dutch oven or other similar large pot.  Throw in that ground beef and brown it up.  Add the chopped onion, minced garlic and fway spice.  Honestly, you don’t *have* to use 3 whole heads of garlic if you don’t want to, but why wouldn’t you want to?  Garlic is amazing.  Sure, 3 heads of minced garlic will have you smelling pretty ripe later on, but who cares?  If you really can’t handle the garlic though and you don’t feel like getting out of the kitchen, then reduce the amount to at least 3-4 cloves.

If you’re going to the two-pot method: While the meat is browning, opening your cans of beans and drain off the excess juices before you add them to your simmering pot.  If you’re concerned about excessive sodium (Surprise – there’s a lot in canned beans!), give those beans a good rinse before you add them to the pot.  Drain the corn and add that too.  Run your chipotles through the food processor to make a chunky paste and add that to the pot as well with the tomato sauce.  Then add in your cooked beef mixture and let the pot simmer on the stove over very low heat.  The longer you let it simmer, the better.  However, once it’s heated through and  and everything, it’s pretty much ready to eat.

If you’re going the one-pot method, just add the remaining ingredients to the meat mixture once it’s cooked.  Follow the rest of the directions and let that stuff simmer for a good amount of time, which should be at least an hour really.  I know I just said that once it’s heated through that you could eat it, but no.  I change my mind.  You really need to wait at least an hour.

Dish your chili up into bowls and top with cheese.  If you like less liquidy chili, you can cut the amount of tomato sauce in half.  Sometimes Arc throws in a can or two of sliced olives.  Sometimes he makes it really really thick and I thin it down with a little veggie broth because sometimes I just like it juicy.

Serve this up with some corn bread and you’d golden!  I found a 100% corn meal cornbread recipe here, and it’s really freaking good.  It might throw you off at first because it’ll look like a runny mess of milk and corn meal, but as it cooks, the corn meal absorbs the milk.  Seriously, probably one of the easiest corn breads I’ve ever made.  Make sure you whip up some honey butter to put on that corn bread too.  Do this by letting a stick of butter soften and mixing in some raw wild honey.  You can make it as sweet as you like.

Don’t like corn bread?  Try frying up some corn tortillas and keeping a little salsa around for funsies.  Just be sure to dust those hot-out-of-the-oil tortillas in salt and garlic powder.

Fway Spice
not really the lost Spice Girl

5 tsp Chili Powder
1 TBSP Crushed Red Pepper Flake
1 TBSP Onion Powder
1 TBSP Minced Onion
1 TBSP Garlic Powder
2 tsp White Sugar (can omit if necessary)
2 tsp Ground Cumin
2 tsp Dried Parsley
2 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Dried Basil
1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper

Add all ingredients into a lidded container and shake to combine.  We have been known to just add the whole batch to the recipe above instead of limiting it to 4 tablespoons.  It’s up to you.