Fall is finally in the air here on planet Earth, so I fancied to try a little Chili. Since the theme for this month is Star Trek, I went searching for a recipe to fit the boat. I found a reference to “Red Alert Chili” in the last episode of Voyager (“Endgame”):
CHAKOTAY: Crewman Chell's asked about taking over in the mess hall full time.
JANEWAY: Neelix left some pretty big pots and pans to fill. Does Mister Chell feel he's up to the challenge?
CHAKOTAY: Apparently so. He's prepared a sample menu. JANEWAY: Plasma leek soup? Chicken warp core don bleu?
CHAKOTAY: If his cooking's as bad as his puns, we're in trouble.
JANEWAY: Oh, I don't know. I wouldn't mind giving his Red Alert chili a try. Feel like having lunch?
Alas, our intrepid adventurers never got to try that chili, nor is there a recipe for it. So I made my stab at what I think a “Red Alert Chili” would be. This is quite spicy, you can omit (or add) spice by adjusting the number and types of peppers you use. Also, extra sour cream on serving can help moderate the heat.
Ingredients:
2 lbs 80/20 Ground Chuck
Mix of dried peppers (I used 1 chili Negro, 1 jalapones, 3 arbol; chipotle and ancho would go well here too)
1 white part of a leek, chopped finally, rinsed and drained (to get rid of dirt) OR ½ onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 small poblano chopped
1 small red jalapeno pepper (substitute green jalapeno)
1 chipotle pepper in abodo sauce, chopped finely
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 15oz can diced tomatoes, not drained
16 oz (2 cups) beef stock
1 tbsp ancho chili powder
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp honey (I used keto sugar free honey substitute)
1 tsp instant espresso powder
1 tsp ghost cinnamon powder (subs regular cinnamon if you don’t have this)
Salt, pepper to taste (be sure to salt as you go.)
To serve:
Sour Cream
Cheddar Cheese
Tortilla Chips (I used these easy keto chips)
Instructions
Prep the hot peppers. Heat a clean skillet (no oil) over medium to medium-high heat. Place in dried chiles and cook, until fragrant and skins start to blister. Place in a bowl with hot water from the tap and lit sit 15-30 minutes while you prep and brown the beef.
In a large stock pot or dutch oven, brown the beef, breaking up as you go. (Hint: I used a dash of baking soda in with the beef to help it brown. It gives a velvety texture to the beef. This is optional.)
Chop up the rest of the peppers, garlic and leek.
After beef is cooked, drain in a colander over a bowl. Let the beef sit a bit. Wipe out some of the excess grease in the pot, return to heat and add in leeks. Cook until it starts browning.
Add in red pepper, poblano, jalapeno and garlic with a little olive oil. Cook until the peppers start to be pliable. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
Drain the dried chilies and chop them up finely, removing seeds.
Add tomato sauce, dried chilies, beef stock
Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot, bring to a boil over med-hi, then reduce to med-low and simmer for an hour, uncovered.
Serve with the Sour Cream, Cheddar Cheese and Tortilla chips
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