Mediocre Chili

So yesterday Cobe came home early because he felt sick and had the chills. Probably because he'd gotten up at 4am to go surfing. Wet suit or not, that water's like 30 degrees. It is Seattle. And November.

Anyway. I'd made chili last night from this recipe in Gourmet so we decided to heat that up. It had all this potential, that recipe. "Pinto bean mole chili."

You roast ancho and chipotle chilis with some cumin seeds and grind them in a blender. Sounding good, eh? Add cinnamon, mexican oregano, orange zest and grated chocolate, sautee up some onions and garlic, add in the spices and some zucchini and kale. Then add canned tomatoes and simmer the whole deal for a little bit. Add pintos, let it heat up, and serve with cilantro and sour cream.

It just never really jelled. It had no depth. I squeezed in some orange juice at the end to give it a little sweetness and it tasted pretty good with the sourcream and the cilantro, but it feels like cheating when you need the toppings to balance the flavor.

Cobe said it was fine, but he was half passed out on the couch as we watched the office.

Never can trust those magazine recipes.

Pinto Bean Mole Chili: B-