Aztec Chili adds hint of cocoa

#Middlebury #KitchenDiva

I absolutely love all things chocolate! I particularly enjoy using cocoa in savory dishes from barbeque spice rubs and sauces to pots of fiery black-bean chili. The story of chocolate begins with cocoa trees that grew wild in the tropical rainforests of the Amazon basin and other areas in Central and South America.

The Maya Indians and the Aztecs recognized the value of cocoa beans hundreds of years before cocoa was brought to Europe. It was the Maya Indians, an ancient people whose descendants still live in Central America, who first discovered the delights of cocoa as long ago as 600 AD. The Mayan people lived on the Yucatan Peninsula, a tropical area in what is now southern Mexico, where wild cocoa trees grew. At first they harvested cocoa beans from the rainforest trees, then cleared areas of lowland forest to grow their own cocoa trees in the first known cocoa plantations.

A drink called “chocolatl” – made from roasted cocoa beans, water and a little spice – was their primary use, but cocoa beans also were valued as currency. An early explorer visiting Central America found that four cocoa beans could buy a pumpkin; 10 could buy a rabbit.

Because cocoa beans were valuable, they were given as gifts at ceremonies such as a child’s coming of age and on religious occasions. Merchants often traded cocoa beans for commodities such as cloth, jade and ceremonial feathers.

Mayan farmers transported their cocoa beans to market by canoe or in large baskets strapped to their backs. Wealthy merchants traveled further, employing porters to carry their wares, as there were no horses, pack animals or wheeled carts in Central America at that time. Some ventured as far as Mexico, the land of the Aztecs – introducing them to the much-prized cocoa beans. The Aztecs were an ancient nomadic people who founded a great city in the Valley of Mexico in 1325 – Tenochtitlan.

“Chocolatl” was consumed in large quantities by the Aztecs as a luxury drink. The Aztec version of this much-prized drink was described as “finely ground, soft, foamy, reddish, bitter with chilli water, aromatic flowers, vanilla and wild bee honey.”

Because of the dry climate, the Aztecs were unable to grow cocoa themselves, so they obtained supplies of cocoa beans from trade or “tribute,” a form of taxation paid by provinces conquered by the Aztecs.

By the time the Spanish invaded Mexico in the 16th century, the Aztecs had created a powerful empire: Their armies were supreme in Mexico. Tributes in the form of food, cloth and luxury items such as cocoa beans flowed into Tenochtitlan. When the Spanish defeated the Aztecs, they destroyed much of Tenochtitlan and rebuilt it as Mexico City, the capital of modern-day Mexico. The legacy of the highly civilized and sophisticated Aztecs remains, however, in the form of their indigenous language, Nahuatl – which is still spoken by more than 2 million people – their archaeological ruins and extraordinary temples and cities, skilled and sensitive art, an advanced calendar, and their inventive use of cocoa beans.

Aztec Chili

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (80/20)
2 medium-large yellow onions, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
6 large cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed, fire-roasted tomatoes
1 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons ancho or regular chili powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
2 (15.5 ounce) cans no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
Optional garnishes: avocado, chopped parsley or cilantro, shredded or crumbled cheese, sour cream

1. Heat the oil in a 5-quart pot over high heat. Add the beef, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cover the pot and cook until the meat is browned, about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the crushed tomatoes (with juices), water, espresso powder, brown sugar, cocoa powder, chili powder, oregano, salt, paprika, black pepper, cayenne pepper and bay leaves. Cover the pot and bring up to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in the beans during the final three minutes of cooking.
3. Serve topped with garnishes. Makes 6 servings.

TIP: You can freeze this fabulous chili in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Angela Shelf Medearis is an award-winning children’s author, culinary historian and the author of seven cookbooks. Her new cookbook is “The Kitchen Diva’s Diabetic Cookbook.” Her website is www.divapro.com. To see how-to videos, recipes and much, much more, Like Angela Shelf Medearis, The Kitchen Diva! on Facebook. Recipes may not be reprinted without permission from Angela Shelf Medearis.

(c) 2018 King Features Synd., Inc., and Angela Shelf Medearis