Good basic chili

1. Brown beef in large skillet. Drain off fat and set aside. Coat a skillet with oil over med. heat, add onions and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Then add bell pepper and garlic, continue cooking 2 to 3 more minutes. Add black pepper, cumin, chipotle pepper, cayenne and chili powder while continually stirring until spices begin to stick to and brown and 30 to 45 seconds. Quickly add 3 cups of water. Add tomato puree, chopped tomatoes and the juice they were packed in. Add beans and salt. Add the beef but try to leave out any additional fat that may have accumulated. Stir well. When chili begins to boil, reduce heat to low and cover. Chili tastes best when simmered at least 3 hours to let all the flavors blend together. Stir about every 15 minutes, making sure it does not stick. If you don’t have 3 hours, use less chipotle and cayenne pepper, as they will overpower the other flavors. If you really want to fire it up, add another tsp. of cayenne or put in a whole jalapeno. The more holes you poke in the pepper, the hotter the fire. If you like cilantro, you can add some shopped leaves to taste.