Cook Off Winner Chili - Texas Style - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon salad oil
2 lbs stewing beef, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
1/4 cup diced green pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (16 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 -3 hot pepper, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Mexican chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 bay leaves
2 (16 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese or 1/2 cup monterey jack cheese (or combo)

Preparation

Heat oil over medium high heat in a large dutch oven.
Add beef, onions, green pepper& garlic and cook until onion is tender (about 10 minutes), stirring frequently.
Add tomatoes& their liquid, hot peppers, chili powder, salt& bay leaves and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low, cover& simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Remove bay leaves.
Stir in beans& their liquid and heat thoroughly.
Serve in soup bowls; sprinkle with cheddar or monterey jack cheese (or a comb).
Place under broiler for 1- 2 minutes to melt.
Serve with your choice of sliced green onions, diced avocados, chopped green peppers, hunks of crusty bread, corn chips,saltine crackers or tortilla chips as accompaniments.