Amigos Chili

Amigos chili is the kind of chili you make on a Tuesday when the wind picks up and you want the kitchen to smell like a south-Texas roadside cantina. Browned ground beef builds the foundation, then sweet onions and minced garlic go in to soak up the rendered fat before a quarter cup of chili powder and a tablespoon of cumin hit the hot pan.

Blooming the spices in the dry pan for those five extra minutes is where the depth comes from. Skip it and you get a flat, dusty chili. Do it right and the kitchen smells like toasted earth and ancho.

Crushed tomatoes, beef stock, corn and a can of red kidney beans round it out. Half an hour at a low simmer thickens it into something that clings to a spoon, and a finishing handful of fresh cilantro keeps the whole pot from tasting heavy.

Pro Tips

• Brown the beef in a single layer if your pot allows it. Crowded ground beef steams instead of browning, and you lose the deep, savory crust the spices cling to.
• Bloom the chili powder and cumin in the rendered beef fat for the full five minutes. This wakes up the oils in the spices and makes the chili taste like a long-simmered batch in half the time.
• Drain and rinse the kidney beans before adding. Canned bean liquid carries a tinny note that muddies the broth.
• Stir the cilantro in off the heat, just before serving. Long cooking turns its bright, citrusy notes into wet-grass.

Variations

• Stir in a chopped chipotle in adobo with the tomatoes for a smoky, spicier finish.
• Swap kidney beans for black beans and use fire-roasted tomatoes for a more Tex-Mex profile.
• Top each bowl with shredded sharp cheddar, sour cream, and a squeeze of lime.