The makings of a good Superbowl include the New York Giants and lots of good food. Even when the Giants lump up their season, the one constant in our house on Super Sunday is Chili
Chili is one of the most interesting dishes in a chefs repertoire.
Seems everybody make it differently. I’ve tried it all kinds of ways, and I like this one best. Because no one in our house is big on beans, I don’t use them. But if you can’t conceive of chili without them, just throw in a can of kidney beans about a half hour before serving. The basic recipe that follows was clipped from an Eastern Airlines Inflight Magazine, circa the late 70’s. I’ve tweaked it to my taste and you can to:
Important:
Chili is pretty hard to screw up, but I’ve done it. Don’t make these
tactical errors!
ALWAYS drain the beef before adding tomatoes and spices. Unless you want a world class case of heart burn.
WHEN cooking outside of your own kitchen, double check whats what. In my mother’s kitchen, I grabbed a bag of “flour” and put a couple of table spoons in to thicken the chili. The “flour” turned out to be baking soda. Carbonated chili sucks, believe me.
THE longer you simmer or cook the chili the more the flavors are imparted. That goes for “heat”…so watch your seasonings.
CUMIN, is the money spice when making chili. That’s the spice that gives “chili powder” it’s flavor. I always add plain cumin as well as chili powder.
So here’s what I do:
First, open a cold beer. This is supposed to be relaxing, so loosen up!
Grab a big old pot and throw in a couple of heaping teaspoons of bacon fat, that’s lying around your fridge. Failing that, a few tablespoons of cooking oil. When the oil is hot, sauté two large chopped onions, and 5 cloves of garlic. As the mixture gets soft and starts to glisten, throw in a couple of healthy shakes of worstershire sauce. Now add the ground meat, and slowly cook till it’s browned.
DRAIN OFF THE FAT, CAREFUL NOT TO LOSE THE ONIONS OR GARLIC. IF YOU LIKE IT HOT, add one half of a finely chopped jalapeno pepper.
Squeeze in one large can of whole tomatoes, one 8 ounce can of tomato sauce, then fill that 8 ounce can with water and add. Grab two bottles of beer (darker the better) and add them to the mix.
Throw in a bunch of salt and pepper to taste and stir. Add 6 heaping tablespoons of chili powder and 3 tablespoons of cumin. Throw in a good dash of tobasco or other hot sauce, then mix in a teaspoon of sugar to cut the acid.
Let this simmer on low heat for an hour, stirring from time to time.
Taste the chili and see how it’s coming along. This is where I usually throw in a bunch more chili powder and cumin. How much? Up to you. Cover and simmer on low for an other hour. Stir and taste. If it’s a bit runny, stir in a couple of teaspoons of flour and STIR REALLY well. OR…PRE MIX two tablespoons of cornstarch and a little water and add that mixture.
Simmer for another half hour and taste. Adjust spices to your taste.
We like to serve this with:
COLD BEER
CHOPPED ONION
GRATED CHEDDAR CHEESE
SOUR CREAM
OYSTER CRACKERS OR CRUSTY FRENCH BREAD
SERVING TIP…
I like to make this on Saturday, then throw it in a crock pot, warm it up…and have it ready to go for the Super Bowl…
Enjoy.
© 2012
