Beef + Bulgar Chili

brown sugar and molasses; the foundation of love

Beef + Bulgar Chili

1 cup of bulgar wheat
2 cups water, boiling
evoo
2 cloves of garlic, minced
one small onion, chopped
one red pepper, diced
1 pound of beef, ground
one 28 oz. can of tomato purée

The Love:
4 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS molasses
4 TBS cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. honey

In a medium bowl pour boiling water over dry bulgar wheat and set it aside for about half an hour, until the water is mostly absorbed. In a big stock pot, drizzle some olive oil and sauté the onion, garlic and pepper until the onion is soft, using medium heat. Add the beef and cook it until it’s medium rare. Add the tomato purée and cover. In another bowl, mix up the Love with a whisk and scrape it into the pot using a rubber spatula. Dump in the bulgar wheat when it’s ready, and then let the whole thing simmer until you get really hungry from the smell and have to have some, about half an hour or whatever.

Vegetarianize it by doubling the bulgar and skipping the beef. You can veganize it by doing that and swapping the honey for maple syrup.

Normally I’d take a photo of more stuff in the process, but I got so wrapped up in paying attention to the steps, and writing, that I spaced (this is my own recipe, and I wrote it as I was cooking).  The final product looks just like chili.  You can use your imagination.  But that combo of brown sugar and molasses, I thought, was just too beautiful not to share.