Yesterday it rained! In the past a rainy day was hardly an unusual event.
But since our move to San Luis Obispo 16 months ago, we have been living with the drought situation that is now in its third year.
Most of the state of California has been affected by this extreme lack of rain, some areas worse than others.
So when the sky opened up and the rain fell and was still raining when we awoke this morning you can imagine the joy we felt. The last rain we had was over 6 months ago, and a very insignificant amount.
This time it totaled 1.25 inches, not enough to affect the drought, but it’s a start. Hopefully, there will be more on the way when we get into December, the beginning of what is normally the rainy season here.
Along with the rain a cold front moved in, and for the first time this fall it actually felt like fall with a real chill in the air.
That was all I needed to put up a pot of chili.
My go to chili recipe has always been made with ground chuck.
This one uses boneless chuck roast cut into bite size chunks, and a medley of traditional chili seasonings. The result is the Chunky Beef Chili you see above.
I served it over some interesting pasta, garnished with crumbled sweet potato tortilla chips, chopped green onion, and grated white cheddar cheese.
The perfect meal for watching the rain on a chilly day!
Chunky Beef Chili ( adapted from Southern Living)
Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola, olive, or grapeseed oil
4 pounds boneless chuck roast, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste
1 (32-ounce) container beef broth or stock
2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
Cornbread or cooked and drained pasta for serving (I used Cavatappi, a corkscrew shape)
Toppings: crushed tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped onions
Preparation
Brown meat in batches in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Remove meat, reserving drippings in Dutch oven.
Add chili powder to Dutch oven; cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste; cook 5 minutes.
Return beef to Dutch oven. Stir in beef broth and next 9 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 1 ½ hours or until beef is tender.
Serve with cornbread, or over your favorite pasta.
Garnish with your choice of toppings.
Enjoy!