Now ya’ll know right off hand, that I did not name this recipe! This is Rachael Ray strait out! And this chili IS spicy! So, she had good reason to start with a caution flag. With that being said, the corn and blackbean “pancake” toppers really help to tone down the heat and the combination really ends up being magical! Creed and Fally girl really enjoy this one too. It feels so fresh and healthy, to me, which is a good thing considering all of my Southern food addictions! I think Rachee wrote this for Nascar fans. But whether you are into cars or not, this one is a keeper.
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 poblano peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
2 lbs. ground sirloin
1 medium onion, chopped
3 to 4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 T. grill seasoning, such as McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 chipotles in adobo, chopped, plus 1 T. adobo sauce
1/2 cup steak sauce, such as Peter Luger or A1 (I’m not a huge fan of A1, but that’s what I usually have on hand, and I don’t add as much. It can be strong in flavor to me.)
1 cup beer
1 cup beef broth
1 (28 oz.) can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
1 pkg. corn muffin mix, preferably Jiffy, batter made according to package directions for corn pancakes
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed, drained, and patted dry with paper towels. I leave out that last paper towel part. ha
1/2 T. ground cumin
2 scallions, finely chopped
Softened butter, for greasing a skillet or griddle
Heat the evoo in a medium soup pot over medium-high to high heat. When the oil smokes, add the sliced poblanos and char them for a couple of minutes, then scoot them off to the side of the pan and add the meat. Break up the beef and brown it for a couple of minutes, then add the onions and garlic. Season the meat with the grill seasoning, Worcestershire, chipotle, and adobo sauce. Cook until the onions are tender, 5 to 6 minutes more, then stir in the steak sauce and beer. Cook the beer off for 1 minute, then add the stock and tomatoes and reduce the heat to low.
Prepare the corn pancake batter according to the package directions. Heads up….I skip this next part because I prefer the look of the black beans whole for picture taking lol, plus it’s just plain easier!…Finely chop the beans in a food processor and stir them into the corn batter. Season the batter with the cumin, and stir in the scallions.
Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle pan over medium heat. Butter the skillet or griddle, then pour 3 to 4 inch corn pancakes. Flip the cakes when the bottoms are deeply golden and cook them for another minute or two on the second side. Repeat with the remaining batter to make 6 cakes. Top each bowlful of the chili with a corn and black bean pancake; these are your flat tire toppers, according to Rach! Fun stuff!
COOKING THE BOOKS, YA’LL!