chipotle-chocolate chili

Do you like smokey, dark, thick, savory, rich chili?

You just found your new favorite recipe.

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(optional) Cook four slices of bacon in large stockpot. (just add coconut oil or butter if you don’t eat bacon. I usually make this without meat.)

While it cooks, slice a huge sweet onion or two-three small onions.

Put a head of garlic and a sweet bell pepper in your toaster oven and roast it until they’re caramelized.

Remove bacon when done. Add onion to hot grease (or oil or butter of your choice).

Cook onions over a low heat until caramelized.

When done, add stock (any kind) or water, a large can of fire-roasted tomatoes, a bay leaf or two, and your choice of cooked beans. (I like some combination of red kidney beans, butter beans, and pinto beans, but you can’t go wrong with any beans in chili. Black lentils or even cannelini beans are great. Use canned beans to save time, or, if you cooked dry beans, add a small piece of cinnamon stick and a bay leaf while they cook.)

Add bouillon or any kind of fat. Coconut oil is great. So is schmaltz from leftover chicken (I save mine for this purpose!) or even grease from last night’s hamburgers.

Season with tons of paprika, oregano, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, onion powder, allspice, a little pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon and nutmeg, and a lot of unsweetened cocoa powder.

Seed & peel the black skin off the pepper. Add the pepper and roasted garlic and some tinned chipotle peppers in adobo. (How many you add depends on how brave you are!) You can also use chipotle salsa if you can’t find chipotles in adobo sauce.

Simmer >1hr, or until it tastes amazing.

Salt and pepper to taste. Top with sour cream or plain yogurt.

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