I tried a new chili recipe this weekend. The Tri Tip plus ground beef and Montreal seasoning intrigued me. I know we all have our favorites, as do I, but this may be my new “old favorite”.



3 dried ancho or guajillo chilies
1-½ C. boiling water
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
3 garlic cloves
¼ C. chili powder
1-½ tsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 lb. ground beef
1-1/2 tsp. Montreal steak seasoning
2 lbs. beef tri-tip roast, cut into 1/2-in. cubes
2 tsp. salt, divided
2 tsp, coarsely ground pepper, divided
2 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped
1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3 cups beef stock
1 bottle (12 oz.) beer
2 cans (14-1/2 oz. each) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (16 oz.) kidney beans, drained
3 Tbsp. masa harina

1. Combine chilies and enough of the boiling water to cover;
let stand until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/3 cup of the soaking liquid.
Discard stems and seeds. Process the chilies, tomato paste, garlic
and reserved liquid until smooth. and set aside.
2. In a Dutch oven, cook and stir ground beef and the steak seasoning over medium-high
heat until beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes; remove and drain.
3. In a small skillet, toast chili powder, paprika and cumin over medium heat until aromatic,
3-4 minutes; remove.
4. Sprinkle steak cubes with 1 tsp. each salt and pepper. In same Dutch oven, brown beef
in small batches in 1 Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat; remove and set aside.
5. Saute onion and poblano in the remaining oil until tender, about 5 minutes.
Stir in toasted spices, oregano and pepper flakes.
Add the cooked meats along with stock, beer, tomatoes, beans, remaining salt and pepper,
and the reserved chili paste
6. Cook on covered over medium heat 1 hour. Ladle out some hot liquid and dissolve the
masa Stir into the chili. Reduce heat to low and simmer another hour.

quote:

1 can (16 oz.) kidney beans, drained

Sorry to ruin your April Fool's Day ploy but you really didn't think you'd sneak by Mexican succotash as chili, did you?

quote:

1 tsp dried oregano

I will assume you mean Mexican oregano rather than Italian oregano?

Why waste a good tri-tip in a pot of chili?

Only Texans refuse to accept beans in chili. Get over it.

flashguy (adopted Texan, who likes beans)

I will assume this is an April Fool's Day prank.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

1 can (16 oz.) kidney beans, drained

Sorry to ruin your April Fool's Day ploy but you really didn't think you'd sneak by Mexican succotash as chili, did you?

You could save me the searching for the killer recipe you posted a while back.
It was the best I ever made/had.

Truth here.

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
Only Texans refuse to accept beans in chili. Get over it.

flashguy (adopted Texan, who likes beans)

When I worked on a project in Visalia, CA, Tri-tip sandwich vendors were all over the valley. Growing up in MT and living in WA state at this time, I had never even heard of tri-tip. Fresh out of their portable grills, and dressed up with salsa and peppers, I had lunch at one spot or another every day. When I returned home to West Seattle, I asked the local Safeway meat dept. about getting some tri-tip. The guy laughed and said he knew where I had been. You just didn't see that cut in the early 90's up North.....and the chili, oh my!

quote:

Originally posted by reflex/deflex 64:
Truth here.

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
Only Texans refuse to accept beans in chili. Get over it.

flashguy (adopted Texan, who likes beans)

Yeah the recipe sounds good but it doesn’t have any noodles or ketchup in it.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

1 can (16 oz.) kidney beans, drained

Sorry to ruin your April Fool's Day ploy but you really didn't think you'd sneak by Mexican succotash as chili, did you?

You could save me the searching for the killer recipe you posted a while back.
It was the best I ever made/had.

I started a new thread

Sounds great! Thank you. Here's one back this one will make you happy.

THAI BASIL COCONUT MUSSELS Prep 15 mins, Cook 8 mins, Yield 4 Servings

Mussels are among the most flavorful ‘fruits of the sea’ and these Lemongrass-Coconut Steamed Mussels are plump, succulent and delicious. Littleneck clams can be used as well. Make sure there's no sand, if you have raked the littlenecks yourself, soak them for a couple of days changing out the salt water to let them purge sand. If you picked the mussels, hit them hard under cold water with a stiff bristle brush to get the crap off.

They are steamed in an awesome Asian-style broth of lemongrass, coconut milk and Thai basil. Serve with lime wedges and crusty, grilled or toasted sourdough bread.
Ingredients
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (1 can)
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
8 oz. bottled clam juice
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons coconut oil
1 lemongrass stem, finely chopped or grated (pale part only with outer layer removed)
4 tablespoons grated fresh ginger root
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed or finely minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 tablespoons fresh Thai basil, cut into slivers
1/4 cup vegetable broth (or additional wine)
3 pounds mussels clams, cleaned of loose dirt and-or beards.
Fresh Thai basil sprigs for garnish
Lime wedges for garnish

Instructions
In a medium size bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice, clam juice and brown sugar; set aside.
Using a lidded pot large enough to contain all the mussels, set over medium heat, add the oil and when it is hot but not smoking add the shallots, then the lemongrass and ginger. Cook, stirring often until tender and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, do not allow the garlic to brown. Stir in the wine and vegetable broth.
Raise the heat to high and bring the pot to a boil. Add the mussels and cover with the lid and steam the mussels for 4 minutes, shaking the pot occasionally to redistribute the mussels. Remove the lid momentarily, and pour the coconut milk mixture over the mussels, sprinkle with the Thai basil and cover the pot again. Continue to steam the mussels, shaking the pot occasionally for another 3-4 minutes until the mussels have opened.
Remove the pot from the heat and transfer the mussels to individual bowls. Discard any mussels that have not opened. Ladle the lemongrass-coconut broth over the mussels and garnish with fresh Thai basil sprigs and lime wedges.
Serve with crusty sourdough bread and a bottle of dry white wine.

Notes. Plant the Thai basil and lemongrass in your garden now. When preparing the lemongrass I found that grating it on a microplane works rather well.