I made a chili the other night, completely ignoring all of your recommendations. I toasted and soaked 3 anchos, 1 chipotle and 2 guajillos. Then I blended them with onion, Mexican oregano, cumin and garlic, fried this paste until very thick and then thinned it out with water. Browned stew meat was added and this cooked until the meat was fork tender. I added too much water and thickened it with a walnut-sized ball of masa but it still was lacking something. This morning, I drained about a cup of Giant White Limas and added them. It was a poem, I tell you! Just out of this world.

My first instinct was to add new potatoes but the limas were a much better fit, and a chance to reinvent the large pot I made over the weekend.