Buffalo Chili

Beans

By el chino latino cocina on January 2, 2020 • ( 5 Comments )

The end and beginning of a year provides a time to think back and look forward.  We are already looking forward to gatherings with family in places like Utah, Minnesota and Door County in Wisconsin.  But it is also nice to remember other places.

This recipe is one we have enjoyed on our visits to Washington, DC and right here (homemade) in Wisconsin.

I love visiting Washington, DC.  Not because of the politics, though I am glad I had a chance to see Ted Kennedy and Robert Dole arguing on the Senate Floor back in the ’80s on my first visit to DC.  It is the history of the space that I enjoy:  The White House, The Vietnam Memorial, Ford’s Theater, The Newseum, The Supreme Court, and the Capitol.  And, The Library of Congress.  Amazing.

At the Supreme Court Building.

On top of that, you have the Smithsonian Museums.  Wow!

We have a few favorite museums, but one of them is the National Museum of the American Indian, which opened back in 2004 on the National Mall.

What I love about the museum and its mission, is that it includes the people of ALL of what we call America.  North, Central and South America.

Learning about potatoes / papas in South America at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC.

One of the most exciting features of the museum, for me, is their cafeteria.  It is called The Mitsitam Café. And they have a great cookbook too.

“Mitsitam means “Let’s eat!” in the Native language of the Delaware and Piscataway peoples,” according to The Mitsitam Café page of the National Museum of the American Indian website.  I remember walking into their café for the first time, amazed that they had food prepared from all the regions of the Americas.  From Chile and Argentina to Canada and Alaska.

Two great cookbooks from the Museum Store.

We tried this chili, from North America, the first time we visited the café and we liked it.  And we have had it almost every time we have eaten at the café.  Because we enjoyed it so much, I’ve made it many times at home and have made a few adjustments over the years.  I think it tastes pretty good.  Enjoy!

Buffalo Chili

2 tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil

1 ½ pound ground buffalo meat

1 yellow or white onion, diced

3 peppers (choose a mix of green, yellow, red or orange), diced

2 tablespoons chipotle en adobo, minced

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 tablespoon ground coriander

¼ cup ancho chile powder

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 28-ounce diced tomatoes

1 cup tomato puree

2 cups pinto beans, drained (a 29- ounce can drained of its liquid yields around 16 ounces)

1 cup water

1 cup beef broth

2 tablespoons tomato paste

½ cup masa harina (corn flour that is used to make tamales and tortillas)

Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot, add the oil over medium heat and brown and crumble the ground buffalo.  Add the onion, peppers, chipotle chiles, garlic and spices.  Stir and sauté for 3 – 5 minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes and tomato puree.  Stir and bring to a simmer.  Cook for 15 – 20 minutes.  After that, add the beans, water and broth.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes, covered.

After 30 minutes, add the tomato paste and blend into the chili.  Simmer for another 30 minutes, covered.

Stir the chile and then sprinkle the ½ cup of masa harina and blend into the chili.  Add more water or broth if the chili gets to thick.

Add salt and pepper to your taste and serve!

We usually have this chili with cornbread.  The Mitsitam Cafe has a Blue Corn Bread recipe, which I will try to share and post soon.

Here is my recipe for Roasted Poblano and Yellow Pepper Corn Muffins

 

At the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History:  Abraham Lincoln’s Hat.

 

This is an exhibit we saw recently.  As someone that grew up in Southern California and would drive by with my family on the way to visit my Abuelita in Mexicali and later visit Palm Springs for fun, I learned a lot about what has happened in the place I thought I knew.  Thank you NMAI!  The exhibit is still there until February 17, 2020.

https://americanindian.si.edu/

This is the The Mitsitam Cafe website.  Give it a try when you are in Washington, DC!

https://americanindian.si.edu/visit/washington/mitsitam-cafe

Below is a short clip of the view of the Rotunda of the Museum on November 1, 2015.  A part of the Day of the Dead Celebration as they included visiting children.

Categories: Beans, Chili, Main Dish

Tagged as: Chili, green pepper, ground buffalo, masa harina, orange pepper, pinto beans, red pepper, tomatoes