Winter Chili for a Chilly Winter
It’s the middle of winter and – in most parts of the country – it’s bitterly cold. Whereas most people turn to “comfort” food like heaping bowls of mashed potatoes or platters of mac and cheese in the winter months, those of us living Primally must approach things a little differently. We can’t take solace in the grains and beans that fill so many stomachs with empty calories and regressive nutrition, and that provide the “full” feeling that people seem to enjoy (I don’t know about you guys, but it just makes me feel bloated and useless).
But don’t assume eating junk food is the only way to stay full, happy, and warm. We have plenty of options. Spicy food, for one, leaves me feeling warm and sated. And I’ll put a hearty stew full of meat, veggies, and spices up against any modern carb fest. Or even better: make a big pot of beanless Primal chili! It’s unquestionably hearty and spicy, it’s full of healthy protein and fats, and it’ll make plenty of leftovers for later use.
I made this recipe on Tuesday with the kids. It was incredibly easy, and I’m actually eating a big bowl of leftovers as I type this (like with most stews and chilis, it’s actually better after marinating a couple of days in the fridge). There’s a fair amount of prep work, but once it’s simmering you’re basically trying to kill time until it’s ready to eat (the amazing smells permeating your kitchen don’t make this any easier).
Primal Chili Recipe:
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, diced
3 pasilla peppers, seeded and diced
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cinnamon stick
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, crushed
1 dark beer, such as a porter or imperial stout
2-4 tablespoons canned chipotle chile, diced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Grated queso fresco, for garnish
Cilantro leaves, for garnish
Lime wedges, for garnish
Method:
Heat a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat; add 3 tablespoons olive oil, the onions, pasilla peppers, and red pepper. Cook until everything is soft and the onions are beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes.
Pat the beef dry and season it with salt and pepper. Add it to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until it has browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.
Add oregano, paprika, coriander, cumin, chili powder, garlic, cinnamon stick, tomatoes, beer and chipotle (add as little as one teaspoon to the whole can depending on how hot you’d like your chili).
Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the meat and shred it with a fork.
Return it to the pot, and cook for another 10 minutes, uncovered, to thicken. Right before you are ready to serve add the red wine vinegar to the pot and stir. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with the queso fresco, cilantro, and lime for garnish.
Serves 6-8.
I’m sure you’ve noticed that the recipe isn’t strictly Primal. The beer and cheese in particular probably leap out at you. If you want to stay pure, nix those items, using plain water as needed instead of beer. But a bottle of good dark beer is worth the tiny sacrifice (especially if it means the perfect pot of chili), in my experience, and the cheese is in such small amounts that it’s basically inconsequential (especially if you’re already following the Primal Blueprint).
petrilli Flickr Photo (CC)
Further Reading:
Is Canned Soup Really That Bad For You?
Choose Your Own Salad Adventure
More Mark’s Daily Apple Recipes
Subscribe to Mark’s Daily Apple feeds
Posted By: Mark Sisson
Oh I am SO excited to try this! I’ve been missing chili on these cold NYC nights…
And thanks to all other commenters on ways to tweak, my nights are going to be filled with new fun ways to make chili!
What are “pasilla peppers”? If you don’t have easy access to those kinds of peppers, say if you live in Podunk, PA, what can you use as a substitute?
Stacey- I made it and skipped the peppers all together (Im a total spice wimp) and it was great! I did add a little chipotle sauce from the latin market we have here (they also have this sauce in the mexican section of many grocery stores). Anyhow, you could sub in ancho chile for the pasilla, no problem.
I made the Chili. My thoughts are … I found it had too much tomato. To compensate, I increased all the spices by 50% and added half an ounce of Tapatio hot sauce. Next time I’ll cut the tomato content to one can. I used Guinness for the beer, but I want to try a Stone smoked porter next time. I also added a tablespoon cocoa but couldn’t detect it. I also had a big problem with meat stuck in my teeth – I going to try the crock pot next time.
I am actually making a batch right now, and I’m using the Rogue Chocolate Stout as my beer. We’ll see how it turns out, but it might help bring out that cocoa flavor.
The protein bars are in my toaster over right now. They smell incredible!! Didn’t have the berries so I subbed a few raisins (less than the 1/4 c called for). More recipes like this that I can bring to work and avoid the vending machine!!!!!
I was really digging the “essence” from the cinnamon stick.
Today I had leftovers for lunch and it was even better!
Follow up on the pasilla chiles. I looked them up, finally, after no responses from my query. :-p
Pasilla chiles are also “ancho chiles” which I actually had on hand, dried.
Made the chili last night sans garlic due to a guest’s garlic sensitivity and offered garlic powder on the side for those who wanted it. Also used beef broth in place of beer. It was very very very tasty!
We love this recipe.
I cook it in the crock pot. Raw beef and all. Cooks about 10 hours slow all day and tastes awesome ! Def favorite !
WOW! I would never think about putting beer in a chili. I made a huge batch last night for everyone at work since it was kind of like a pot luck day and I used all the cpices and all the other ingredients with the expeption of meat. I used ground beef instead.
The flavor was just amazing and no one could figure out what that familiar delicious flavor was. Little did they know it was beer:)
This is a great chili! One tiny tweak that will deepen the flavor even further…try browning the meat first then remove it from the pan, add the vegetables, let them deglaze the pan of all the lovely brown bits left from the meat and cook down. Then add back the meat and proceed as usual. Putting the veggies first doesn’t let the meat caramelize as nicely because of the moisture in the pan and the deglazing gets all of those beautiful flavory bits back in the mix. Great recipe…thanks!!
Just a hint… this is pretty much the same as Tyler Florence’s Texas Chili off of the Food Network with like one or two minor changes. And to the person who mentioned beans in chili, it is an INSULT to a Texan to put beans in chili…beans are yankee stuff. Never saw a bean in a pot of chili until I traveled outside of Texas.
Also, may I recommend Ancho Chili Powder to all in place of the standard chili powder?? If you look at the winning recipes of the Terlingua, Texas chili cookoff, most of them use Ancho.
Nothing like a dumb Texan spouting off about the “right” way to do something. Idiots, the lot of you.
Nothing like a non-Texan spouting off about being Texan, to a Texan.
Idiot – you.
So glad to see that a real chili is made without beans!!!!! And that others agree.
Me must have Primal Chili!! Thanks for the chili recipe. I am going to cook it tomorrow night.
Just made this tonight.
Although we are Primal, we still like beans every once in a while. I added in some organic kidney beans to this and also used ground beef. No vinegar at the end b/c I didn’t think it needed it.
The flavor is wonderful!
This is legitimately the best chili I’ve ever made, and I grew up in Cincinnati, home of beanless chili (actually quite similar to the chili in the PB Cookbook). It’s getting to be chili weather here, and I’m glad I’m prepared. Additionally, I replaced one of the pounds of chuck with a pound of liver (my cowpool just came in and I have all this liver and no idea what to do with it). So far I’d say that the offal isn’t so awful at all! It lends a nice richness to these hearty stews, and once it’s simmered for 2 hours in spices, you really can’t tell any difference. Great stuff!
This is fantastic! I’ve never had chili without beans so the first time I made it it seemed a bit… thin? A couple of nights later I made taco meat and had a decent sized scoop leftover so I put it in last bowl of chili. That’s what I was missing!
I just made a batch tonight and this time I not only added a pound of taco meat but some celery and red bell pepper, too. Little bit of shredded sharp cheddar, little dollop of “sour cream” (aka Greek yogurt) and this is perfection in a bowl.
Wow. I googled Paleo Chili and this was the most interesting one I found. And I must say, that this is by far the BEST chili I have ever eaten. The cinnamon is absolutely genius. Thanks for making Paleo delicious and easy
Perhaps I chose a pot that was too small (typical large two handled sauce pot, ~2qts) but the meat didn’t brown really. I’m hoping it still cooks out well but next time I think I’m going to brown the meat in a cast iron pot first and then add it back to the chili after that. It will add more of a cooked flavor to it, I think.