Far, far from the blistering climes where hot chiles grow and glow, in the fog drenched maritimes we make our chile as we imagine it should taste. (But without paprika, pdq, that's sweet and meant for paprikash ;-))

400 gm. meat (more or less) (ground beef, cubed steak or stew meat or chicken - lamb might be good, but is reserved in my house for delicious curries)
1 good sized chopped small onion
couple diced celery sticks
2 smashed garlic cloves
(Start frying those now, in a little oil)
Add ground chile (or a couple nice fresh chile peppers if the grocer has any), tablespoon of cumin seeds, dash (or two inch stick) of cinnamon, a few coriander seds if you got 'em.
(Fry a little longer now, making sure some of the meat is caramelizing a bit on the bottom of the pot)
Now add the marvelous invention canned stewed tomatos already herbed up for chili! (Called 'Accents' here, comes in regular, italian and chili) Simmer and stir, making sure your wooden spoon scrapes the meat bits off the pot. A bit later, add canned red kidney beans - but wait! First, throw the canned beans in a strainer and thoroughly rinse all that glutenous muck off them with cold water! This will make your chili look and taste fresher and lighter.
Now simmer a while and check for heat - add chile to taste - simmer a bit more.
Eat!

Sometimes I add fresh tomatos. Sometimes I sprinkle cheddar on top.