Kosher salt
2 chipotle chiles packed in adobo, finely chopped
2 anchovy fillets, mashed to a paste with the back of a
fork
½ cup Chile Paste (here) or ¼ cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
½ cup tomato paste
2 pounds boneless ground chuck
One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
into ½-inch pieces
One 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained
1 cup homemade or low-sodium canned chicken stock, or
water
2 to 3 tablespoons instant cornmeal (such as Maseca)
2 tablespoons whiskey, vodka, or brandy (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
Garnishes as desired (see the headnote)
Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high
heat. Add the onions, garlic, oregano, and a pinch of salt
and cook, stirring frequently until the onions are light
golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the chipotles,
anchovies, chile paste, and cumin and cook, stirring, until
aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and
cook, stirring until homogeneous, about 1 minute.
- Add the ground beef and cook, using a wooden spoon to
break up the beef into pieces and stirring frequently, until
no longer pink (do not try to brown the beef), about 5
minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans, stock, and cornmeal