Recipe Update!! As of January 31, 2019 I updated this recipe to be made in an Instant Pot, since I’m on the slow train and just got one. The instructions for cooking the recipe on the stove top have remained the same and can be found below. -Kate
I took leave of my house for the first time since the baby was born. Well actually much longer than that. I have not been out in the world, alone, for two years, right before I found out I was pregnant again.
I had been looking forward to this trip for months. Dreaming of it on many cold winter days stuck inside our minuscule house with two small children and all their stuff. All their toys, and books, and crunched up Cheerios ground into the carpet. I would imagine myself dressed in something other than yoga pants, wearing make-up, strolling freely with my rolling suitcase in tow right out that back door, into the car, and flying high above them in a very silent airplane. ‘Bye-bye’, I would happily wave from the little rectangular window, ‘Mama will be back soon’.
But when it came time for me to go my heart ached at the thought of leaving my babies. Although I was leaving them in the very capable hands of my husband my mind raced with worry. ‘What will the baby think? He will never understand what is going on. Will he wonder if I had gone forever?’ And my little Louisa, would she make it to school on time? What if my husband forgets to pick her up?
Looking in from the outside this all seems so trivial (I was only gone for 5 days people) but there were many deep breaths taken on that first day away. I’ll admit I wiped away a few streams of tears that the man sitting next to me on the plane was politely ignoring.
The trip was nice…. great people…… beautiful weather……. amazing food….everything I had hoped it would be, but by day 4 I was ready to come home. Let’s face it, I was lost out there in the world by myself. I’m just not as interesting to myself as I used to be. It’s boring thinking about me all the time. I needed the constant chatter, tiny calamities, and giggles, my brain no longer functions well in silence.
I returned late at night, long after the kids had gone to bed, but the baby woke-up crying a couple hours after I got home. I went in to see if he was okay and I’m sure the relief on his face mimicked my own. I picked him up and our embrace was as if our bodies had been starved for each other’s touch. I realized immediately there was no putting him down, he clung to me, heavy and hard. I laid down with him directly on top of me, his tiny body melting into mine. When his breath deepened and I thought for sure he was fast asleep I tried to rearrange myself in a more comfortable position, sliding him more to one side. He sprang awake, gave out a small cry and climb back directly on top of my chest where he immediately fell back asleep. We slept like that all night, the way I used to sleep with him when he was a newborn, fraile, and vulnerable. When the morning light finally woke us both he sleepily looked at me rubbing his eyes to see me more clearly then took his little fist and pounded me on the head as if to say, ‘Don’t ever do that to me again!’
There is actually a blizzard outside my window right now…I’m not shitting you (apologies for the language but blizzards in April deserve a good cursing). Anyhoo, since it is snowing fiercely outside it is still well within the realm of chili weather. This one has plenty of heat, exactly what one needs when the calendar says Spring but Mother Nature has not yet gotten the memo.
What To Make With The Leftover Chipotle Peppers
Easy Chicken Empanadas with Garlic Mojo Sauce
Instant Pot Beef and Chipotle Chili
Classic beef and bean chili with lots of kick from chipotles en adobo. This is right up there with our favorite Mexican ground beef recipes. Garnish to your heart's content! With instructions for stove top and Instant Pot!
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion (chopped)
- 1 large red bell peppers (chopped)
- 1 jalapeño (chopped)
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound ground beef
- 4 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 2 chipotles en adobo (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 15 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
Stove Top Instructions
- Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell peppers, and jalapeño. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until all liquid has evaporated and onions are starting to brown, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add ground beef, garlic, chipotles, and all the spices. Season again with salt and pepper and cook, breaking up the meat with the back of the spoon until browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, water and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and let simmer for 1 hour. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Stir in cilantro and serve.
- Garnish chili with grated smoked cheddar, sour cream, thinly sliced red onion and jalapeño, radish slices, cilantro leaves, and lots of tortilla chips for dipping.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Follow the instructions in step 1 and 2 on the sauté function.
- Add the tomatoes and beans, omit the water then turn to the meat function to finish cooking.
- Use the quick or slow release function depending on how much time you have. I prefer slow release as it gives the chili more time to meld the flavors.
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Not sure about what do I like more: your beautiful story, the pics or the rcipe!
Aww, thank you!! xo
This is perfect! Aren’t you in love with it? For sure I’ll try your recipe!
Yes! You can totally make it without the beef too, just substitute sweet potatoes or zucchini.
This is the perfect comforting dish for a rainy or cold day. Love it!
Thank you Silvia, it really is!! So spicy it warms you right up!
Do you quick or slow release?
Hi Stephanie!
You can do either. I prefer the slow release as it gives more time for the flavors to meld. Thanks for asking, I’ve adjusted the recipe.
I like the ingredients of your chili. I’ve always added roasted cumin and coriander to my own chili. One slight variation from yours to mine is that I used chunks of chuck roast. Preferably picked by me, but I’ve used the tenderized meat cut for stew or chili. My store, (the H-E-B) has chili meat that’s from a chuck roast, but it’s not as good as the chunks my butcher cuts up for me. Another thing I’ve learned that I like is as I’m browning those chunks of meat, I deglaze the skillet with a sweet Texas Red. It does some kinda caramelization thing and produces a small amount of sauce that I pour into my crockpot that’s been slooooooooooooow cookin’ my sauce. I do that de-glazing thing with every batch of meat, usually 2-3 batches. What it does – especially if the meat is seasoned well, is that you get the chili sauce flavor straight away, then you get this slight undertone of sweetness, and then how you seasoned your meat, which for me I use a little sauce, black pepper and Worcestershire (Woostershire) 😀
It was a game-changer for my chili. I also will add some hard Texas craft beer like a Shiner or Creek Don’t Rise (not really a dark but a good beer)
I normally don’t eat it the day I cook it, I like it to cook slooooooooooooow over night, but a protege came by and asked if I could cook something for him to celebrate his purchase of a semi-truck. I haven’t made a pot of chili that I served and ate the same night in like a trillion years, and it was not bad!! I didn’t do my red wine thing per se, but I did incorporate it. Big giant pasta pot on the gas stove and that chili is AMF! Great story about your kiddo. I loved it when my little man slept on my chest. It was like doesn’t matter what’s going on with work, home, whatever. Everything is RIGHT in my world… My wife was always worrying that I’d roll over on him, but I never sleep that light. But those memories are the best. Good luck and keep on cooking!!
p.s. San Marcos is my favorite! Especially since they have crushed chipotles peppers, so easy to incorporate into my dishes, so I usually buy both. Costena brand comes in 2nd, but usually, San Marcos has more sauce. Gotsta have mo juice!!! lolol
Hey Robert, that sounds so good! I agree, chili always tastes better the next day. Thanks so much for leaving a comment. 🙂