Numero Uno Chile - Michael Mclaughlin’s
Submitted by brianjwood on August 02, 2002 at 2:28 am

DESCRIPTION
Numero Uno Chile - Michael McLaughlin's

SUMMARY
Yield 0 File under Family / Ethnic / Regional

INSTRUCTIONS
It is from the Manhattan Chili Co Southwest
American Cookbook, by Michael McLaughlin. It is one of the best I have come
across.

Numero Uno (serves 6 - 8)

¼ cup olive oil; 2 large yellow onions, peeled and roughly chopped, about 4
cups; 1 ½ lbs chuck steak, ground as large as you can get ( I use two
cleavers to chop mine into 1/8 inch cubes, the texture is great!); 1 ½ lbs
shoulder pork, done the same way; 2 tsps salt; 1/3 cup mild pure chile
powder (i.e. not commercial rubbish if you can help it, grind your own); 3
tbsps ground cumin, from toasted seeds; 3 tbsps dried oregano, Mexican if
you can find it; 3 tbsps unsweetened cocoa powder; 2 tablespoons ground
cinnamon (frightening, huh? If that sounds too much, use half, but it really
does cook out and is not overpowering); 1 ½ tsps cayenne, or to taste; 4
cups tomato juice; 3 cups beef stock, or canned beef broth; 8 medium garlic
cloves, peeled and minced; 2 - 3 tbsps yellow cornmeal to thicken
(optional); 2 16 ozs cans of dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (just
listen to the howls of rage from the Texans! Ignore them, they wear those
funny boots and woolly leggings).

Method:- In a large skillet warm the oil and cook the onions, stirring a few
times, until very soft, about 20 mins.Try not to burn them. Meanwhile, in a
4 ½ to 5 quart casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat, combine the beef &
pork, season lightly and cook, stirring often, until the meats lose the pink
colour and are nicely crumbled, around 20 mins. Add the onions, with juices,
to the meats. Stir in chilli powder, cumin, oregano, cocoa, cinnamon and
cayenne and cook, stirring for 5 mins. Stir in the tomato juice and beef
stock, bring just to the boil, lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour.
Taste and correct the seasoning, then simmer for another 30 mins, or until
it is as thick as you want. Stir in the garlic, thicken with the cornmeal if
desired, add the beans and stir them in, simmer another 5 minutes.
Points to note. He recommends NOT using Dutch cocoa, he says regular US
stuff is better. He also says he usually finishes up with upto 3 tbsps
cinnamon, I never made it that far!. Try some mild chile. Make it in two
halves, tasting the bit with chile in to see how you like it. You can
recombine if you do like it (or YDH rather) or freeze it and stick to the
mild half. It cooks better in large amounts, it freezes well, and given the
process, it saves time to make 1 large batch, freeze the excess, then just
reheat later. I would leave the beans out if I planned to freeze it, but
that isn't important. I hope you like it!
Cheers, Brian