Serrano Poblano Chili Con Carne

Serrano Poblano Chili

This is a chili that will satisfy a man's hunger, but is still figure-friendly for females. This chili is fast and easy to fix and tastes like it has been simmering on the back burner of the stove all day.  It will taste great coming inside from the chilly days of winter and will warm you up.

Ingredients:

• 1- lb.  Ground beef
• 2 red onions, chopped
• 2-3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 serrano pepper (seeded)
• 1 poblano pepper (seeded)
• 3 Tbsp. chili pepper
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1-14.25 oz. can beef broth
• 1 can crushed or diced tomatoes
• 1-15.5 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

This recipe is a version of the Serrano Chili in The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook.

Printable Version of Recipe: Serrano Poblano Chili PDF

Gather the ingredients.

Prepare the vegetables by dicing them into uniform pieces.

The serrano pepper  is a type of chili pepper that originated in the mountainous regions of the Mexican states of Puebla and Hildago. The name of the pepper is a reference to the mountains (sierras) of these regions.

Their flavor is crisp, bright, and biting, notably hotter than the jalapeno pepper and they are typically eaten raw. Serrano peppers are also commonly used in making pico de gallo It is also commonly used in making salsa, as the chili is particularly fleshy compared to others, making it ideal for such dishes.
It is one of the most used chili peppers in Mexico.

Serrano Pepper





The poblano is a mild chili pepper originating in the state of Puebla, Mexico.. Dried, it is called a chile ancho ("wide chile"). The ripened red poblano is significantly hotter and more flavorful than the less ripe, green poblano. While poblanos tend to have a mild flavor, occasionally and unpredictably, they can have significant heat. Different peppers from the same plant have been reported to vary substantially in heat intensity.
(from Wikipedia.com)

Add vegetables to ground beef  in frying pan.

Season with chili powder.

Add one of the two secret ingredients... 1 tsp. ground cinnamon and saute 1 minute.
Cinnamon is a nod to the dish's Mexican heritage.

Add the broth.

Add the tomatoes.

Reduce heat to medium.  Partially cover and simmer 20 minutes or until chili is thick. 

Drain and rinse beans.

Stir in beans and salt.

Add the second secret ingredient... 1 tsp. cocoa powder.
Chocolate is a key ingredient in Mexican moles.  The cocoa adds a
certain richness to the dish.

Add 2 tbsp. of fresh cilantro. 

Stir and cook until flavors are blended. 

If you are not serving this immediately, you can keep warm in a crock pot.
It just gets better the longer it is cooked.

The History of Chilli con Carne

The name "chili con carne" is a variation of the Spanish chile con carne, which means "peppers with meat." Chili con carne is the official dish of the U.S. state of Texas. It can be found worldwide in local variations and also in certain American-style fast food restaurants.

Some say that chili was invented in Mexico during the 1840's, possibly in Chihuahua, as a complimentary dish served at cantinas for outsiders, who wanted something spicy and cheap. Others contend it was born in Ensenada, Mexico in the 1880's as a way of stretching available meat in the kitchens of poor Tejanos. Many Texans maintain that it was the invention of Texas cowhands who ate it by the bucketful as the drove their herds across the plains. The most imaginative origin traces its roots back to pre-Columbian Aztec chefs.

What is known for a fact is that in the 1880's, colorfully-dressed Hispanic women called "Chili Queens" began to operate around Military Plaza and other high traffic public places in downtown San Antonio, Texas, where they would reheat cast iron pots of pre-cooked chili and sell it by the bowl.

Sanitation laws in the late 30's shut down the Chili Queens, but not the public appetite for this tasty Western dish. Chili parlors opened by hundreds. These small, family-run chili joints spread from Texas to the rest of the USA, and became a part of the pre-WWII American landscape.

Regional variations add a certain level of enjoyment for chili lovers. Traditional Texas style chili is thick and uses few to no vegetables. New Mexico chili is famed for it's thinner consistency and the use of green rather than red chili peppers. 

(from squidoo.com)

Enjoy!