Chili Colorado Recipe

This is another throwback from the boy's childhood, like the cheese brogies. He remembers going to a restaurant with his parents, probably in Nampa, Idaho, and having Chili Colorado. He thought it was delicious, and would order it at other restaurants and never found on that compared.

It can be eaten as a traditional chili, the kind in a bowl eaten with a spoon, or there's a bunch of other ways to serve it. He chose to have it with garlic mashed potatoes and corn chips - maybe not the most traditional preparation. I opted for mine in warmed corn tortillas with a sprinkling of rice.

Tex-Mex can be so hearty and filling, and if you remove the gobs of cheese you get at a restaurant, it's pretty healthy too. (I skip the cheese because I don't eat dairy, and you don't want to miss the flavors going on in the meat and sauce anyway). If you're afraid this will be too spicy for you, the flavors mellow as they simmer in the stock pot, or in the slowcooker (whatever your preference). I've included slowcooker instructions with this recipe as well, because it would be perfect to welcome yourself home with some flavorful chili after a cold day outside.

When I asked him after dinner if this compared to his childhood Chili Colorado, he had to admit he wasn't sure anymore what it tasted like. What we made for dinner, though, was a slam dunk, and has already made its way to our dinner rotation.

Last Year: Southwestern Chicken Soup

Chili Colorado
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2 tablespoons millet flour
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tablespoon bacon drippings, or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon millet flour
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon adobo sauce (the extra juice from a can of chipotle peppers)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and black pepper to taste
3 cups water

Place the millet flour and corn starch (total 3 tablespoons) in a plastic bag. Add beef and shake to lightly coat with flour. Set aside.

Heat bacon drippings and vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot over medium high heat. Add beef and cook until meat is evenly browned, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon millet flour, and cook 3 minutes. Stir in the onion, tomato sauce, adobo, chile powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer until beef is just falling apart, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

Crockpot/Slowcooker Directions. Brown meat with flour, and then add all remaining ingredients into the crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours, and then serve.

*Note: No matter how many times I make this, there always ends up being stuff stuck to the bottom of the pan. It doesn't matter if I made it in enameled cast iron, a copper-bottomed aluminum pot, or just cast iron, the millet flour tends to stick to the bottom of the pot. When the mix has been cooking for about 1 hour, make sure you are stirring well to get the bits off the bottom and keep them from sticking more permanently. It rarely burns, as long as you are paying attention, but you can end up scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to get beef bits incorporated back into the mixture. And unfortunately, this is the kind of cooking escapade that will lead to soaking a pot for quite a while to clean it up! I still think it's totally worth it, though.