Description
Texas-style Frito pie: Fritos topped with a rich ground buffalo chili made with a homemade dried chile puree, then beans, cheese and hot sauce.
Ingredients
Chile Puree
- 2 dried California (New Mexico or Anaheim) chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 1 dried chipotle chile, stemmed and seeded (or 2 teaspoons chipotle in adobo puree)
- 1 dried arbol chile, stemmed and seeded (add more if you like it hot)
- 2 dried pasilla chiles (or ancho chiles), stemmed and seeded
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 cups water
Chili
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
- 4 pounds ground buffalo (or lean ground beef)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- Salt and pepper
For Serving
- Fritos (or tortilla chips)
- Shredded cheese
- 4 cups cooked red kidney or pinto beans (optional)
- Hot sauce
Instructions
- Prep the chiles: Stem the chiles, split them open, and shake out as many seeds as you can. Rinse them if they're dusty.
- Toast the chiles: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Toast the chiles until slightly puffed and lighter in color, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, flipping once. Move them to a blender with a slotted spoon, and add the onion to the pot right away so the oil doesn't burn.
- Puree the chiles: Add the water to the blender, and blend for 1 minute, until smooth.
- Saute the aromatics: Sprinkle the onions with the 1/2 teaspoon salt, and saute for 3 minutes, until just softened. Make a hole in the center, add the garlic, tomato paste, cumin, coriander and oregano, and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Stir into the onions.
- Brown the buffalo: Add the buffalo, sprinkle with the 2 teaspoons salt, and turn the heat to high. Cook, breaking up the meat, until it just loses its pink color, about 5 minutes.
- Add the puree and tomatoes: Pour in the chile puree, and bring to a boil. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, and bring to a boil again.
- Simmer: Reduce the heat, partially cover, and simmer for at least 30 minutes (1 to 2 hours is better), stirring and scraping the bottom occasionally. Or cover and bake in a 325°F oven.
- Season: Stir in the brown sugar and vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve: Put a layer of Fritos in each bowl, and top with a ladle of chili, a ladle of beans (if using), cheese and hot sauce.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
Equipment: A large Dutch oven and a blender (or food processor - the blender makes a smoother puree).
If you can, refrigerate the chili for a day or two, then reheat before serving. The flavor gets better.
Chili powder shortcut: Skip the dried chiles. Add 1/2 cup chili powder with the other spices.
Whole spices: Toast 1 tablespoon each of whole cumin and coriander seeds in the dry pot over medium heat until fragrant, and add them to the blender with the chiles.
For the cheese, Robb Walsh suggests a goat cheese topping. Freshly shredded cheddar is good too.
Adapted from Robb Walsh's Frito Pie with Venison Chili and The Tex-Mex Cookbook.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes