Ahira's Hangar

I made this today, making some serious modifications to a South Beach diet recipe. If I do say so myself, it is the best damned homemade chili I've ever had. It's got some heat to it (you can change the amount: lower by using a different type of pepper than the habanero or chili de arbol or higher by leaving some or all of the peppers in the oil), but not so much that my wife who can barely stand tobasco couldn't eat it.

<<warning. after or even during making this, do not touch anything until you've thoroughly washed your hands>>

Syl's Chili
submitted by: Syl

4 habanero peppers (remove caps, stems, seeds, slice into small strips)
6 dried chili de arbol peppers (remove stems)
1/4 cup or more olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
6 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper (remove cap, stem, and seeds, slice into long 1/4" strips
3 large cloves of garlic, diced
4 tbspn (or more) chili powder
2 tbspn (or more) ground cumin
1.5 lbs lean ground beef (or probably about 1.25 lbs ground turkey)
1/2 tbspn ground black and red pepper
1/2 tbspn seasoning salt
2 bay leaves
1 can of plain diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans

In a 6 qt covered stockpot, heat olive oil at just under medium temp. Add habaneros and chili de arbol peppers (a few dashes of salt. I used coarse sea salt). There should be enough olive oil that the veggies are thoroughly coated and dripping with it, but not quite swimming in it. Cook for about 5 minutes or more. Unless you want your chili super freakin' hot, strain out the peppers and keep the oil. Add the onion, green onions, red bell, and the garlic (a few more dashes of salt). Stir in half of the chili powder and all of the cumin, using enough to coat it thoroughly. Cook for another 5-10 minutes. Strain again, transferring the solids to a food processor. Pulse a couple of times. Leaving the olive oil in the stockpot, add the groundbeef, the rest of the chili powder, and the bay leaves and brown it. Stir in the black and red pepper and the seasoning salt. Add the tomatoes, black beans, and kidney beans, draining the excess juice out of the cans except for the tomatoes. Add the contents of the food processor. Stir, bring to a rapid simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook for at least one hour, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaves. Enjoy.