Build a Better Bowl of Chili...From the Kitchen of Martha Stewart

Chili is easy to make ahead, keeps and reheats well, and feeds a crowd with maximal flavor and minimal effort. Naturally, a dish this appealing has traveled and been adapted far from its native range, so there are regional differences. Californians have embroidered the basic formula with beans, while Cincinnatians throw in spices such as cinnamon and allspice and serve it over spaghetti. 

Our basic recipe, with beef, chiles, tomatoes, onions, and garlic, stays true to the Tex-Mex tradition. Two varieties of dried peppers — the rich, crinkled ancho and the lively, crimson guajillo — produce a dish with plenty of personality but medium heat. Toasted in a skillet, softened in hot water, and then pureed, the chiles turn into a mahogany paste that releases a heady, appetizing aroma and provides a wonderfully earthy, almost chocolaty, backdrop.

The fresh jalapeno sings the green-peppery top notes. Ground cumin and dried oregano are the spices that perhaps best capture the Southwestern spirit of the cowboy original, and a finishing splash of vinegar adds dimension while roping all these delicious elements together.

Building a Bowl of Chili:

1. Peeled Plum Tomatoes
Canned tomatoes and their juice contribute to the stew’s hearty liquid.

2. Beef Chuck
A cut of beef with a great meaty flavor. The internal layers of marbling, or fat, keep the meat flavorful and tender while it cooks. 

3. Dried Oregano
Peppery and lemony notes make the herb a common component of chili powders. 

4. Jalapenos
These green peppers bring fresh-chile flavor to the dish, as well as heat. 

5. Ground Cumin
Earthy and pungent, cumin is a classic chili spice. 

6. Onions and Garlic
These give chili sweetness and depth and round out the dish’s flavors.
7. Ancho Chiles
Ancho is the name given to dried poblano chiles. The chiles are mild to moderately hot and have wrinkled, almost-black skins.

8. Dried Guajillo Chiles
These long red chiles are hot and slightly sweet. They contribute to the chili’s ruddy color. Toasting dried chiles before cooking with them enhances their flavor.

9. Vinegar
Just a splash added at the very end rounds out all the delicious flavors cultivated in the intoxicating stew.

Texas Red Chili
Whole dried ancho and guajillo chiles (earthy.com) heat things up in an authentic and easy recipe for this crowd-pleasing classic.

8 whole dried chiles (5 ancho and 3 guajillo or all ancho; about 3 ounces)
3 tablespoons safflower oil, plus more as needed
3 pounds trimmed beef chuck, cut into small pieces (1/2 inch or smaller)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large onions, coarsely chopped (4 cups)
7 to 8 garlic cloves, minced (5 tablespoons)
2 jalapeno or serrano chiles, seeded if desired, minced
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled plum tomatoes, pureed with their juice (3 1/2 cups)
4 cups water, plus more if needed and for soaking
2 to 3 teaspoons white vinegar, to taste

1. Toast dried chiles in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant and blistered, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove stem and seeds; discard. Transfer chiles to a large measuring cup or bowl, and cover with hot water. Keep chiles submerged with a small bowl, and let soak for 30 minutes. Remove from water, and puree in a blender with 1/2 cup soaking liquid.

2. Heat a large heavy pot over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil. Season beef with 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Brown beef in batches, adding more oil as needed, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate

3. Add remaining tablespoon oil, the onions, garlic, and minced chiles to pot, and cook over medium-high heat until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. (If the pan gets too dark, add a little water, and scrape up browned bits with a wooden spoon to deglaze.) Add cumin and oregano, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.

4. Stir in browned beef and chile puree. Add tomato puree, water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer gently, partially covered, until meat is very tender and juices are thick, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. (Check pot once an hour for excessive evaporation; if chili seems dry, add a little water.) Season chili with salt, and stir in vinegar. Serve immediately (or refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months; reheat in a pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally).

Hot, spicy and good for a cool autumn day.

And, there are some health benefits from chili peppers that you may be unaware of....See below:

Health Benefits

Fight Inflammation

Chili peppers contain a substance called capsaicin, which gives peppers their characteristic pungence, producing mild to intense spice when eaten. Capsaicin is a potent inhibitor of substance P, a neuropeptide associated with inflammatory processes. The hotter the chili pepper, the more capsaicin it contains. The hottest varieties include habanero and Scotch bonnet peppers. Jalapenos are next in their heat and capsaicin content, followed by the milder varieties, including Spanish pimentos, and Anaheim and Hungarian cherry peppers. Capsaicin is being studied as an effective treatment for sensory nerve fiber disorders, including pain associated with arthritis, psoriasis, and diabetic neuropathy. When animals injected with a substance that causes inflammatory arthritis were fed a diet that contained capsaicin, they had delayed onset of arthritis, and also significantly reduced paw inflammation.

Natural Pain Relief

Topical capsaicin is now a recognized treatment option for osteoarthritis pain. Several review studies of pain management for diabetic neuropathy have listed the benefits of topical capsaicin to alleviate disabling pain associated with this condition. In a double-blind placebo controlled trial, nearly 200 patients with psoriasis were given topical preparations containing either capsaicin or placebo. Patients who were given capsaicin reported significant improvement based on a severity score which traced symptoms associated with psoriasis. The side effect reported with topical capsaicin cream is a burning sensation at the area of application.

Cardiovascular Benefits

Red chili peppers, such as cayenne, have been shown to reduce blood cholesterol, triglyceride levels, and platelet aggregation, while increasing the body's ability to dissolve fibrin, a substance integral to the formation of blood clots. Cultures where hot pepper is used liberally have a much lower rate of heart attack, stroke and pulmonary embolism.

Spicing your meals with chili peppers may also protect the fats in your blood from damage by free radicals - a first step in the development of atherosclerosis. In a randomized, crossover study involving 27 healthy subjects (14 women, 13 men), eating freshly chopped chili was found to increase the resistance of blood fats, such as cholesterol and triglycerides, to oxidation (free radical injury). In men, the chili-diet also lowered resting heart rate and increased the amount of blood reaching the heart.

Clear Congestion

Capsaicin not only reduces pain, but its peppery heat also stimulates secretions that help clear mucus from your stuffed up nose or congested lungs.

Boost Immunity

The bright color of red chili peppers signals its high content of beta-carotene or pro-vitamin A. Just two teaspoons of red chili peppers provide about 6% of the daily value for vitamin C coupled with more than 10% of the daily value for vitamin A. Often called the anti-infection vitamin, vitamin A is essential for healthy mucous membranes, which line the nasal passages, lungs, intestinal tract and urinary tract and serve as the body's first line of defense against invading pathogens.

Help Stop the Spread of Prostate Cancer

Red chili peppers' capsaicin, the compound responsible for their pungent heat, stops the spread of prostate cancer cells through a variety of mechanisms, indicates a study published in the March 15, 2006 issue of Cancer Research . Capsaicin triggers suicide in both primary types of prostate cancer cell lines, those whose growth is stimulated by male hormones and those not affected by them. In addition, capsaicin lessens the expression of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), inhibits the ability of the most potent form of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, to activate PSA, and directly inhibits PSA transcription, causing PSA levels to plummet. The dose effective for test animals was equivalent to 400 milligrams of capsaicin, three times a week, for a man weighing about 200 pounds. After four weeks of receiving capsaicin, prostate cancer tumor growth and size decreased significantly in the animals. One warning: Excessive intake of hot chilies has been linked to stomach cancer, so don't go overboard.

Prevent Stomach Ulcers

Chili peppers have a bad—and mistaken—reputation for contributing to stomach ulcers. Not only do they not cause ulcers, they can help prevent them by killing bacteria you may have ingested, while stimulating the cells lining the stomach to secrete protective buffering juices.

Lose Weight

All that heat you feel after eating hot chili peppers takes energy—and calories to produce. Even sweet red peppers have been found to contain substances that significantly increase thermogenesis (heat production) and oxygen consumption for more than 20 minutes after they are eaten.

Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Making chili pepper a frequently enjoyed spice in your Healthiest Way of Eating could help reduce your risk of hyperinsulinemia (high blood levels of insulin)—a disorder associated with type 2 diabetes. In a study published in the July 2006 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Australian researchers show that the amount of insulin required to lower blood sugar after a meal is reduced if the meal contains chili pepper. When chili-containing meals are a regular part of the diet, insulin requirements drop even lower. Plus, chili's beneficial effects on insulin needs get even better as body mass index (BMI, a measure of obesity) increases. In overweight people, not only do chili-containing meals significantly lower the amount of insulin required to lower blood sugar levels after a meal, but chili-containing meals also result in a lower ratio of C-peptide/ insulin, an indication that the rate at which the liver is clearing insulin has increased. The amount of C-peptide in the blood also shows how much insulin is being produced by the pancreas. The pancreas produces proinsulin, which splits into insulin and C-peptide when secreted into the bloodstream. Each molecule of proinsulin breaks into one molecule of C-peptide and one molecule of insulin, so less C-peptide means less insulin has been secreted into the bloodstream. Besides capsaicin, chilies contain antioxidants, including vitamin C and carotenoids, which might also help improve insulin regulation.
Sounds like you could use a few more peppers in your diet sister-friends.