Chili Cook Off Recipes

The Super Bowl was yesterday and a perfect day for chili. In last week's Washington Post Food section, two writers offered up their chili recipes. Here are both. See which one you like best. Both chilis can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to four days or frozen for one month.

Chili Con Carne

• 6 dried ancho chili peppers, rinsed
• about 4 cups hot water, plus more as needed
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 to 2 1/4 pounds lean stew meat or chuck roast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 4 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. onion powder
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tbsp. ground cumin
• cayenne pepper (optional)

Cut or tear apart the ancho peppers, discarding seeds and stems. Place in a dry skillet over medium heat and toast for 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender, add 1 cup of water and blend until smooth. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven until it shimmers. Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste, then add just enough meat to the pot to avoid overcrowding. Cook in batches, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes each, or until the meat starts to brown.

Return all the meat to the pot, add the garlic and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until the meat has browned all over and the garlic has softened. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion powder, stirring to mix well. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the oregano, cumin, and reserved ancho chili puree, stirring to combine. Add enough water to cover the meat by 1 inch. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 6 hours, stirring occasionally, then uncover and use a spatula to mash and break up the meat. Cook, uncovered, for another hour or two or until the chili has become quite thick and the meat has almost melted into the liquid. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and cayenne pepper, if desired. Serve warm, with accompaniments of your choice.

Weeknight Chili

• 2 tbsp. mild extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 1 large stalk celery, peeled to remove strings and cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 3 to 4 tsp. mild chili powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano, crumbled
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 1/4 pounds ground beef (80 percent lean)
• one 8-ounce can tomato sauce / 1 cup homemade tomato sauce
• one 15- to 16-ounce can red kidney beans with liquid
• 1 cup water
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 4 to 6 slices day-old crusty Italian or French bread, for serving (optional)

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, and cook about 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Resist the urge to stir frequently, so the vegetables will caramelize rather than steam. Add 3 tsp. of the chili powder, the salt, oregano, 1/4 tsp. of the cayenne pepper and the garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Push the vegetables to the outside edges of the pot, increase the heat to medium-high, and place the ground beef in the center. Use the edge of a wooden spatula or spoon to break the meat into 3/4 inch pieces. Sear the beef until it begins to brown on the bottom, don't stir it until the beef sears and you see steam rising. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat is no longer pink.

Add the tomato sauce and the beans and their liquid. Rinse the tomato sauce can (or container from leftover sauce) with 1 cup water and add it to the pot along with the bay leaf. Bring the chili to a rolling boil, then quickly reduce the heat to low. Taste; add 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper for a spicier chili or 1 tsp. chili powder for a deeper flavor. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the largest pieces of carrot are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

If serving over bread, tear 1 slice of bread into 3/4 inch pieces and place in the bottom of each wide, shallow soup bowl. Ladle the chili on top, serve hot.