Rain, Rain Go Away

It is raining buckets here in NY today. So I’ve shut myself in and I want to warm myself with a nice bowl of hearty chili. Sometimes I like to make a Texas chili and sometimes I prefer a Cincinnati chili. But my best friend David loves it when I make a Cuban Picadillo. When I make it for him, we serve it over rice with a side of black beans and fried sweet plantains. Since I’m on this dies, lets add the beans to the pot to make a chili and hold the rice and plantains, maybe we’ll sprinkle it with some graded cheese instead.

Cuban Chili

1 medium or ½ of one large sweet onion
1 green bell pepper
4 cloves garlic
Olive Oil
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon ground cilantro
½ teaspoon thyme
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon ancho chili
4-5 plum tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup water
1 can black beans, preferably Cuban style
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
salt and pepper

Finely chop the onion, green pepper and garlic. In a large pot, heat a tiny bit of olive oil on medium high. Sautee the chopped veggies until soft. Add in the ground beef and spices and stir to break up the meat into fine piece. Brown the meat. While the meat is cooking chop the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes and water to the pot and sir. Cover the pot and simmer on medium heat for about 20 minutes. Once the chili is reduced and thick add in the black beans. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Season with the sugar, salt and pepper to taste.