Chipotle Chorizo Chili

Muy Caliente

 - hot, hot, hot -

If you like your chili hot and I mean as in heat from fiery roasted peppers, then this recipe is for you. Of course, you can always tame it by reducing the chipotle salsa, but then that's like watering down a hearty, chunky soup into bouillon broth.

My inspiration came from a meal I had a while back, chili con carne chocked full of chorizo in a red pepper sauce. I ordered it at our favorite Saturday night eating establishment only to find out it was so mild, I begged for heat - from a combination of table salsa fresca, jalapenos, even the hellish of hot Chile Habanero Sauce. Yup, it was that mild. So I made a mental note, even after several Modelo especials, to capture the essence of the dish that I desired, or rather the lack of, and I ended with a meaty, chorizo chili and beans with deep overtones of sweet smoky heat.

Enjoy!

Chipotle Chorizo Chili
4 to 6 servings

1 pound uncooked chorizo sausage
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 garlic toes, minced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 -7 oz can chipotle salsa, I used San Marcos brand
2 - 15 oz cans pinto or Latin red beans, drained
1 -10.5 oz can Campbell's condensed beef stock
1 -28 oz can petite diced tomatoes
Shredded cheese

Remove casing from sausage if in link form. In a medium stockpot over medium high heat, cook sausage until brown; break up any large pieces. Stir in the onion, garlic and bell pepper and cook until vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes. Drain off the grease from the sausage (or sop it up with paper towels). Stir in the chili powder, cumin and the chipotle salsa. Cover and simmer on medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the pinto beans with the beef stock in a glass bowl and microwave for about 5 minutes cooking until tender. Add to the sausage mixture and return to simmer. Add tomatoes with juice; cook covered for another 10 minutes and serve with a topping of cheese.

Note: Add sour cream and cilantro if desired.