I love to grocery shop, but it’s become a problem. I buy way too much and find myself scrambling to use up ingredients before they go bad. Trying to stay ahead of the curve, last night I made a recipe that is suited for a huge variety of produce: chili.

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef (85/15)
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
3 large garlic cloves, sliced
Veggie medley
2 small anjou pears, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
1 medium turnip, diced
about 1 cup carrot tops, chopped
Spices
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp gochugaru
1 tsp coriander
3 fresh Thai chili peppers, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Liquid
juice of 1 large lemon
juice of 1 large lime
1 cup decaf coffee
2/3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 small beefsteak tomato
about 3/4 cup tomato sauce or 1 cup drained canned tomatoes

1. Fry the ground beef in a Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. Make sure that the meat juice evaporates and you’re left with the oil.
2. Add the garlic and onions. Sauté until fragrant, careful not to let the garlic burn.
3. Add the veggie medley and toss vigorously until everything in the pot is evenly distributed. Sauté for 2 or 3 minutes, turning often so ingredients at the bottom do not burn.
4. Add the spices and toss vigorously.
5. Add the lemon and lime juice and use a wooden spoon to deglaze the bottom of the pan.
6. Add the rest of the liquid mix and toss to combine. Bring to a boil and let simmer until the liquid is mostly reduced, about 20 minutes.

I’m going to experiment with a similar recipe next time but substituting Guinness in place of the lemon/lime juice. I was having a Kyoto matcha IPA while chopping up a storm when I had this stroke of genius, and now I can’t wait.

I was trying to make sourdough brioche at the same time, but that recipe will have to wait until I perfect it. The brioche came out hard and dense, but the flavor is great. Perfect for soaking in the chili and dipping in egg yolk, anyhow, so I’m not too upset about it.

I had the chili today for lunch, simmered in a small saucepan with a bit of added water because I wanted to steam some broccoli and add an egg. Covered the pan until the egg white was set, about 2 minutes, then removed the lid and cooked off a little of the liquid. Yum!