Although I had a tempting invitation for Easter, I decided to stay home, circle the waggons, clean the apartment and spend a quiet evening preparing to return to work after a week away. But I did decide to make some chili. And not just any chili. I got the recipe off Cook’s Illustrated (subscription required).

You may remember my old standby chili recipe. It’s good, but I wanted something more adventurous–and boy did I get it.

It begins with making your own chili paste out of dried ancho and arbol chiles. Later you slice up a 4-pound chuck roast and.. well, if you want the recipe, shoot me an email. Or subscribe to their web site.

All I can say is, wow. Incredible sweet, smoky chile flavor with a pleasant heat. Tender meat such as one finds in a long-simmered beef stew.

The recipe definitely has potential. I may opt for canned beans next time (I doubt preparing dry ones is really worth it), but the concept of making one’s own chili paste with dried chiles in the food processor is one I’ll keep experimenting with.