Chili Paste

I love chili. I’ve always loved chili. Hearty, meaty, spicy, top with cheese, sour cream, chives, scoop with Fritos, or better yet, a cinnamon roll.

But what white people in the midwest make is often a poor imitation.

Instead of using actual chilies, most midwesterners use chili powder. And not just chili powder, but ancient chili powder that time has sapped of all flavor.

Then they mix that flavorless dust into tomatoes and glop it over browned hamburger and call it done.

Excuse me, no.

Years ago I was at the “Mexican grocery store” and saw all the bags of dried chilies they have.

I bought a bag of Guajillo, of Pasilla, of Ancho, Hatch, really whatever they had.

And I brought them home and started making real chili using chili paste, without any powder or tomatoes.

There’s a million ways to use it, like add cinnamon and chocolate to make mole, thin it down for enchilada sauce, use it to make tacos or burritos, marinate pork in it.

But I mostly make chili with it.