Rachel Ray's chili... YUM-O! ;)

Uptown Down-Home Chili

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 pounds ground sirloin [i used 1.5 lbs of beef chuck roast, most fat trimmed off, and cubed into 1" pieces]
2 tablespoons grill seasoning (recommended: McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning) a palm full
1/2 pound baby Portobello mushrooms, chopped1/4 pound shitake mushroom caps, sliced
1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped [substituted with 1/2 of each red, yellow, and orange bell peppers chopped into 1" pieces]
4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped, with their juices or 1 generous palm full ground chipotle chili powder, about 2 tablespoons [1 seeded mine.  please note this means 2 peppers from 1 can, NOT 2 CANS OF PEPPERS! ;)]
1 tablespoon ground cumin, half a palm full
1 bottle imported beer (recommended: Stella Artois (...imported just 'cause we're Uptown and that's all they drink here.) [i used a tap room no. 21 brewing co.'s amber ale]
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained [i used red]
1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup beef stock (8-ounce box) [i used low sodium, fat free]
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
8-ounce piece smoked Gouda, shredded [i used sharp cheddar]1 small white onion, finely chopped  


Directions

Trim fat from meat and cube.  Heat a deep, large skillet or a pot over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and the meat. Season it with grill seasoning and sear it up for 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer meat to a plate and return pot to stove. Reduce heat to medium- high and add another tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Add the mushrooms and begin to brown them before adding the other veggies. After 2 or 3 minutes the mushrooms will begin to shirk and soften. Push the mushrooms off to one side of the pot and add all the remaining veggies to the opposite side of the pot surface. Once the onions, celery, peppers and garlic have been working for a few minutes as well, mix the veggies with the mushrooms. Add the meat back, season with Worcestershire sauce, chipotle in adobo or chipotle powder and cumin. Add in beer to deglaze the pot, scraping up all the pan drippings. Reduce the beer by half, about 2 minutes. Add the black red beans, tomatoes, stock and thyme to chili and simmer 10 minutes for flavors to combine. Taste to adjust seasonings. [I let it all simmer an extra 20 minutes, while my Jiffy cornbread was in the oven ;)] Top bowls of the chili with shredded smoked Gouda sharp cheddar and finely chopped raw onions. a dollop of fat free sour cream, 1/2 avocado sliced, a sprinkle of fresh chives.  Serve with a piece of cornbread and an ice cold beer!


I've gotta admit, I usually don't like Rachel Ray's recipes, but this one is GREAT!  the only thing i'll change next time i make this is that i'll only use 1 chipotle in adobo... 2 was a bit too spicy for my geography tongue to handle! ;)

enjoy! ;)