Jay's Killer Black Bean Chili.

I've had a request for my recipe for Jay's Killer Black Bean Chili - a Jay Moreno original. The single most important ingredient is the chili powder mix. Get yourself a jar with a tight fitting lid - like say an instant coffee jar - to store your mix in. Hint: If you will put a square of folded Saran Wrap over the mouth of the jar and then screw the lid on tight, your mix will stay fresher longer. With two exceptions, you will not have to buy the high priced, brand name spices. Go to Walmart. Look for the "5th Season" brands along the bottom shelf. They are perfectly good - and only 50 cents for a good sized bottle. Buy 4 bottles of their chili powder; one of garlic powder; one of onion powder. Now, you will probably have to go to McCormick or Spice Island on the upper shelves to find a bottle of powdered cummin. Ditto for one bottle of ground coriander. Go to the canned vegetable aisle. You'll need a large can of Walmart's store brand, "Great Value," "CRUSHED"tomatoes (white label). Go down to the left a ways and get a can of Great Value black beans and a can of Great Value real CHILI beans (NOT kidney beans or red beans.) Get the kind with no seasoning in them. Cruise over to the aisle with Hispanic products. Get a bottle of Goya brand SPANISH olive oil. Continue on to your left over to the ground beef. Get 1 lb tube of 8o/20 ground chuck. You're almost done. Go to produce. Pick up a large, white onion and three plump jalapeno peppers. You will want to make this over and over again. You can buy fresh garlic every time and mince it yourself, or, the better course, is to buy a jar of Great Value minced garlic. Lasts forever in fridge and works well. Okay, get all your spices together with a mixing bowl, a whisk, and a measuring cup and measuring spoons. Here's the basic recipe for the chili powder mix. After you make the first batch, if you like particular flavors and want more of them, you can modify it to taste. For every ONE CUP of chili powder, add in: 1 TEAspoon of onion powder (not onion salt - there is NO salt in this chili); 1 TEAspoon of garlic powder (not garlic salt); 1 TABLEspoon of cummin; 1 TABLEspoon of coriander. Mix well with wisk, then store in your jar. Keeps for a year - but you will use it all way before then - trust me. Time to cook. 1st: Brown your beef in a skillet. Break it up with the sharp edge of a spatula until no piece much bigger than a BB. 2nd: Pour one tablespoon of the SPANSH olive oil into a small frying pan and set heat on medium. ( I use 2 tablespoons, but you might want to start with one if you are new to olive oil in chili. Trust me - you'll soon move to two!) 3rd: While your beef is browning on medium heat, mince your white onion, mince your garlic (if you bought fresh); and seed and chop your jalapenos into pieces no larger than your index finger nail. 4th, Into the pan with the olive oil, place all of the chopped jalapeno; one or two heaping tablespoons of the minced white onion ( I like two); and one teaspoon of fresh or jarred minced garlic. Mix all together well, coating with the olive oil. Sautee' until onions are translucent. 5th: Okay, you beef is still browning and your vegetables are sautee'ing. Get out a wire strainer. Open both cans of beans and the can of tomatoes. Pour both cans of beans into your strainer and strain over sink. While they are draining, pour your tomatoes into a pot large enough to hold all ingredients. Adjust heat to medium. 6th, To your tomatoes, add 3 to 4 HEAPING tablespoons of your chili mix. You might want to start with three. That's plenty flavorful, but I like the little extra heat from 4 myself. Mix in well BEFORE you add beans. No since busting your beans. 7th. Add the entire contents of your sautee' pan, ESPECIALLY every drop of the olive oil, and stir in well. 8th: Now, gently fold in your beans into the tomatoes. 9th: By now, your beef should be browned. Drain it thoroughly in your strainer. Hint: Drain the grease into your blue tomato can. 10th: Add beef to tomatoes and beans. Stir in gently and thoroughly. Let simmer (covered or not - uncovered is a little thicker) for 30 minutes. If you do this in the order I've listed, you will be surprised at how quickly you can make this. Rachel Ray, eat your heart out! You will also be surprised at how inexpensive each satisfying serving really is. Serve with a side dish of Great Value extra sharp, shredded cheddar cheese and some white corn tortilla chips. If you think it is great when it's first done, wait until you've refrigerated it or frozen it (keeps well in zip lock type freezer bags) then reheat and eat it. Noticeably better. Enjoy! Let me know how you liked it. P.S. Get yourself some Nathan's "longer-than-the-bun", all-beef Kosher hot dogs and make the best chili dogs you've ever eaten. Just add spicy mustard, raw, minced white onion, shredded, sharp cheddar cheese, Jay's Killer Black Bean Chili, and the hot dog, in that order. Oh, and if you want a killer breakfast that will put hair on your chest, make a Jay's Killer Black Bean Chili omelet. Add raw, chopped white onions to eggs before you whip them. Butter omelet pan. After you put in the chili, top it with shredded, sharp cheddar. Cook until bottom of omelet is golden brown. Serve with grits. Trust me- it will cure the breakfast blahs!