HALF-TIME CHILI WITH STOUT
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
8 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 pounds ground chuck
1 pound Italian sausage
10 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree
1 14½-ounce can low-salt chicken broth
1 12-ounce bottle dark beer [SEE RECOMMENDATION BELOW]
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 15- to 16-ounce can prepared chili beans
1-ounce square bittersweet chocolate
GARNISH
1-½ cup crumbled Roquefort or other blue cheese
PREPARATION
Heat oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add chuck and Italian sausage and sauté until brown, breaking up meat with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder, cumin, basil, oregano, thyme, bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Stir 2 minutes. Mix in crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, beer and tomato paste. Simmer until thickened to desired consistency, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Mix in beans and bittersweet chocolate. Simmer 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with crumbled blue cheese and serve.
FOR AN EVEN BETTER CHILI: Prepare 1-3 days ahead. Refrigerate until cold, then cover. Rewarm over low heat before serving.
Until 2005, I made this recipe every January using Guinness Stout. Guinness does an admirable job here, but I've since found an even yummier addition to this recipe: Great Divide Brewing Company's YETI Imperial Stout.
In YETI, the talented brewmeisters at Denver's own Great Divide Brewing Company have created as big a dark beer as you can find (at 9.5% alcohol by volume), and its roasted chocolate and coffee malt flavors are absolutely perfect for the Half-Time Chili recipe above.
I have also successfully paired YETI as a dessert beer accompaniment to a creamy cheesecake. Offset against the butterfat of the cheesecake, YETI's caramel and toffee notes really blossom. So consider buying or making some cheesecake for the post-game wrap-up and sending your guests home in style.
