Recipe: Shahir's Argentinian Chili

Shahir’s braised Argentinian beef chili is the perfect meat lovers dish. It tastes great the next day, so be sure to make your co-workers jealous at lunch!

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil, divided
• 1.5 lbs chuck roast, cubed into 2 inch chunks
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 jar passata
• 3 cups low sodium beef stock
• 1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 14 oz can hominy, drained and rinsed (or 1 cup frozen corn)
• Handful, fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Chimichurri topping:

• ½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
• 1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• Juice of a half lemon
• ½ cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

To serve:

• 1 cup crema or sour cream

Preparation

Heat a large pot or dutch oven to medium high heat. Add 2 tbsp of oil to pot and chunks of meat. Sear until browned on all sides, remove and set aside. Add another splash of oil to pan along with carrots, onions, celery, peppers and garlic. Sautee until browned. Add spices and cook for 2 minutes. 

Add tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes. Deglaze with stock. Add passata and return meat to pot. Simmer for 2-3 hours until meat is tender and falling apart. Use two forks to shred meat. Add beans and hominy or corn. Bring to a simmer. Finish with chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Chimichurri topping:

Add herbs, jalapeno, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil to a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Serve chili in bowls, top with a dollop of crema or sour cream and chimichurri.