The Robust Ingredient Martha Stewart Uses To Amplify Her Chili

If there's one thing we've learned from Martha Stewart, the original entertaining expert whose influence dates back to when social media was just media, it's everything. Martha's made our whipped cream last longer, perfected our porterhouse, and clarified the butter for our scrambled eggs. One could, in fact, use one Martha Stewart recipe, tip, or trick for every meal for the rest of their life, and never eat the same thing twice. And her chili recommendation ranks among the best of them.

This particular Martha Stewart chili preparation (naturally, she has a few) calls for cocoa for an inimitable richness. She uses two tablespoons of the Dutch-process stuff, so save the more acidic natural cocoa for your sweets. This is also, notably, a bean-free chili, which we find has a more concentrated flavor than legume varieties in general. It's also sometimes served differently than those veggie-packed versions. While you could just ladle it into a bowl, you'll often see bean-free chili topping hot dogs or served with cornbread. It's also great as a hearty chilaquiles addition.

The Stewart-approved no-bean chili with cocoa powder calls for that conservatively portioned ingredient, plus the stuff you'd already typically use. So feel free to just sprinkle some cocoa powder in with your ground beef or turkey, alliums, canned tomatoes, broth, and seasonings. You can mix it in with your bean-abundant recipes, too, for a similar depth of flavor.

Being that the cocoa powder is unsweetened and tastes quite bitter alone, you might be tempted to add a bit of sweetener — like brown sugar — for insurance, which some recipes do. But there will be enough natural (and probably some artificial) sugars in your other ingredients that you shouldn't have to pile on more. Doing so might even send your chili into more confectionary territory. The cocoa here is not unlike the chopped dark chocolate in a mole. Sure, the latter property enters the equation with a little more sugar to begin with, but it's a balancing act that trusts the performance of all ingredients in concert. As with any recipe, just taste as you go. It's easier to add flavors than to have to walk them back.