Florida Native Mexican Buffalo Chili With Monterey Jack Nachos

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb lean ground buffalo
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 green chilies, seeded and finely chopped or 1 (6 ounce) can green chilies
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree (paste)
• 3 3/4 cups beef stock
• 2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• sea salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1 (9 ounce) bag blue corn tortilla chips, lightly crushed
• 2 cups monterey jack cheese, grated
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, instead of monterey jack if you prefer
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans (mixed, 1 each) or 2 (15 ounce) cans red beans, for the pinto beans (mixed, 1 each)
• 1 lb lean ground beef, for the lean ground buffalo

Recipe

• 1 heat oil in large pan over a medium heat and cook ground buffalo until very lightly browned. (buffalo cooks faster than beef and has less fat, be careful not to overcook).
• 2 reduce the heat and add onions, garlic and chilies. cook for 4-5 minutes, or until peppers and onions are tender.
• 3 add the chili powder and ground cumin, and cook 2 minutes more. stir in the bay leaves, tomato puree, and beef stock. bring to a boil.
• 4 reduce heat and cover the pan. simmer for about 45 minutes.
• 5 put a quarter of the beans into a bowl and mash with a potato masher. stir these into the soup to thicken it slightly.
• 6 add the remaining beans and simmer for about 5 minutes. season and stir in the chopped cilantro leaves.
• 7 remove the bay leaves before serving.
• 8 to serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls and spoon tortilla chips on top. pile grated chees over the tortilla chips and serve.