This southern comfort stew is a staple in my kitchen.

I’m not like some aficionados and make it only with beaf and chili peppers.

Yes, I like to add other ingredients. I like to add onions, tomatoes, red beans, garlic, and sometimes… chocolate.

I like to play with the spices too. My classic recipe is with chili powder and cumin.

I love it spicy as well as mild.

I come from a family who do not eat chili nor spicy 🌶 hot food. I was brought up in Quebec, Canada which is quite far from southern U.S. but somehow, a bowl of hot chili is “comfort food ” for me.

Here is my basic recipe (from which I sometimes become creative and add stuff!)

The ingredients:

500g to 1kg ground grass-fed beef

2 onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium jalapeno chili, ribs and seeds removed, minced

7ml chili powder

10ml ground cumin

1-400ml can crushed tomatoes

400g cooked red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

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This is how to prepare it:

Heat a heavy pot. Add the onions and cook about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef. Cook, stirring and breaking up meat, until browned.

Add the garlic and jalapeno. Stir in the chili powder and cumin. Continue to cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in the crushed tomatoes. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

Add the beans and continue cooking, uncovered, until meat and beans are very tender, and chili is thick, about 30 minutes more. Serve in small bowls.

Do you like Chili? How do you like it? Please, let me know!

In health,

Chantal