Easy ground beef and bean chili

Heat a little oil in a pot on high, add the ground beef and leave it unmoved until well browned on one side, then stir and break it up; do not over-brown, as the texture suffers.

Dice the onion, aiming the radial cuts at a point about half the onion's height below the board and making one horizontal cut one dice-width above the bottom. Mince six cloves of garlic.

Grind about a tablespoon of whole cumin and the Mexican oregano in a mortar and pestle; mix with two to three tablespoons of chili powder and a couple teaspoons of garlic powder.

Add the onions and garlic to the browned beef and cook a few moments on high until the onions soften; season with a little salt and black pepper.

Add a few tablespoons of tomato paste and the spice blend and let the spices bloom in the beef fat until aromatic.

Add two 10-ounce cans of Rotel tomatoes and chicken stock, rinsing out the cans with it, then the red beans; bring the stock to about three cups in all.

Add a couple bay leaves and simmer about 30 minutes, or pressure cook 20 to 30 minutes.

Taste; add a little fish sauce, and sprinkle in Maseca and stir to give body and thickness.

Serve garnished with grated cheese, Mexican sour cream and cilantro.