In Morocco, this may have never been called a chili. It is simply a bean (loubya) tagine usually prepared meatless or with chunks of beef or lamb. It comforts me to sauce it up, eat it out of a bowl, bury my face in its steam and call it a chili.
MOROCCAN “CHILI” RECIPE
YIELD: 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
PREP TIME: 5 MIN
COOK TIME: 1 H 10 MIN
To my taste, this chili is medium spicy. Taste it when it’s cooked and increase the amount of harissa and/or cayenne if you desire more heat.
Ingredients:
¼ cup olive or canola oil
1 medium onion, grated
4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika powder
2 teaspoons harissa or hot pepper sauce
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pound ground beef
2 cups dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight and drained
1 tablespoon honey
1 Serrano pepper, seeded and minced
1 (14-oz) can crushed tomatoes
3 cups beef broth
3 cups water
1 cup raisins
Directions:
Place the first 12 ingredients in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté until the onions are translucent, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the ground beef. Brown it on all sides, stirring frequently to crumble it into small pieces, 5 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients except the raisins. Turn up the heat to medium-high. Cover with a lid and cook for one hour, or until the beans are cooked and the liquid reduced. Stir in the raisins.
Serve hot topped with minced onions, cilantro or celery.
