World's Best Chili

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon salt
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 jalapeno peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chili peppers, drained
12 ounces ground beef
3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
2 tsp. chili powder
½ tablespoon ground black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

Cook ground beef in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno pepper, garlic, and green chili peppers. When vegetables are heated through, reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.

Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving. Freezes well.


*****
Makes a very large batch. For a spicer version, add an extra jalapeno, increase chili powder to 1/4 cup and ground pepper to 1 TBSP.