Pantry Chili

When we moved our large pine hutch into the kitchen so that we could have a pantry, I decided to try my best to keep it stocked, buying some things in bulk, so that I could throw together a meal without having to run to the store.  As I did not feel much like shopping on Saturday, I perused my pantry and freezer.  I wanted to make chili, but I had no kidney beans.  What I did have were black beans and hominy, we were on a big pozoli kick last fall.  I puttered around pinterest (say that three times fast) to get a few ideas, then just threw together a pantry chili with what I had.  I must say, this will now be our go recipe to when it comes to chili.  There is something about hominy's satisfying texture in a chili that really makes this special.  It has never been an ingredient that I have used much, but I certainly will think of it more often now.  This dish can easily be vegetarian, but I did add some beef that I had in the freezer to ours.

Black Bean and Hominy Chili

1 lb. Beef Chop Suey (I like the small little bites of this versus stew meat)
1 Onion, diced
2 Cloves Garlic, diced
1-28 oz Can Chopped Tomatoes
2-15 oz Cans Black Beans, drained
2- 15 oz Cans Hominy, drained
2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
1/4 C BBQ Sauce
1 oz. Cocoa Powder
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Cumin
1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
2 Tbsp. Ancho Chili Powder
Red Wine, for deg-lasing
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 C. Chopped Cilantro (we didn't put this in, but as I am typing, I think this would be a wonderful fresh addition).

Method:

Brown beef in large stock pot.  Once browned, toss in onions and garlic and cook until just softened.   Then add all spices and cocoa powder coating the meat and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Deg-lase pan with 1/2-1  C of red wine, scraping all of the brown bits from the bottom.  Finally add all of your canned goods, BBQ Sauce and tomato paste.  Stir and simmer for 30 minutes.  We always server our chili with a handful of crushed tortilla chips in the bottom of the bowl. This chili is exceptionally decadent if you add a slug of coconut milk on top, as you would sour cream. 

As we are expecting heavy snow all afternoon in our area, you may want to add a few things to your shopping basket this morning,  it sounds like the perfect day for chili!