Okay, Readers. I haven’t heard much from you lately, so now is your chance. I am hereby blowing the whistle of virtual syncopated action and kicking off our First Ever Virtual Chili Cookoff!
Here’s your challenge:
Post in the comments section your best and most inventive chili recipe. Then read the blog and cook other people’s chili recipes. We will meet back here in two weeks and vote on the best one. Can we pull this off? Is this too much to ask of anonymous blog readers who are probably skimming my blog just to procrastinate from some other task? Maybe, but when I dream, I dream big.
I don’t actually have a cool chili recipe, but I will promise to post yours, cook yours, eat it, and vote. Also, I’m not a huge chili fan in general so whoever wins my vote must make astoundingly fabulous chili.
Here’s Stacey’s award-winning recipe to start us off:
Black Bean and Chocolate Chili
(adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates)
Serves 6-9
Total Time: 50 minutes
It is super rich, so consider serving it in smaller
portions as a side dish, part of a buffet, or your
entry to a chili cook-off!
Since I was doubling the chili recipe for the cook-off
party and had some left-over chipotle black beans
prepared earlier in the week, I used them for half of
the required black beans. Because of this addition I
would suggest extra chile powder to make it a little
more spicy to taste. Or get a can of chipotles in
adobo sauce and mince one or two and add it to the
pot. I definitely feel that the chili as written in
Moosewood would not have been spicy enough, or had
enough complexity of flavor, if not for the spicy
black beans that I added to the mix. So here’s the
recipe – work with it, have fun, and enjoy!
2 T vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 small fresh chile, minced
1 T ground cumin
2 t dried oregan (preferably Mexican)
1/2 t ground cinnamon (Mexican canela sticks)
pinch of ground cloves
1 t ground coriander
1/2 t ground black pepper
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 cups chopped bell peppers (I used red)
3 cups cooked or canned black beans (2 15.5 ounce
cans, rinsed and drained)
2 cups undrained crushed canned tomatoes (14.5 ounce
can)
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 T soy sauce
1 1/2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, broken into small
pieces (about 1/4 cup) (I used Ghiardelli chips from a
bag.)
Chili powder (Ancho chile) or chipotles in adodo sauce
to taste
Chopped Scallions
In a sauce pan, warm the oil on medium heat. Add the
onions and garlic and saute until the onions become
translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery and the
chile, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes.
Reduce the heat and stir in the cumin, oregano,
cinnamon, cloves, coriander, black pepper, salt, and
the bell peppers. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, until
the bell peppers begin to soften. Stir occasionally to
keep the spices from burning. If needed, add a little
juice from the canned tomatoes.
Add the black beans, tomatoes, lemon juice, and soy
sauce. Bring the chili to a simmer, cover and cook for
5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the chocolate. When it is
melted, adjust the salt, black pepper, lemon juice,
and chile powder or minced chipotles to taste.
Garnish with chopped scallions.
Anyone else? Step on up: This Blog Wants You
November 7, 2007 at 12:03 pm
Chili sans meat with veggies
Olive Oil in saucepan
Saute Onions and Garlic
Add a bunch of Cumin, Cayenee, Chilipowder
Saute More
Add 2 sliced Green Peppers
6-7 sliced Mushrooms
2 sliced Red Peppers
Saute More
Add Two Cans of Whole Tomatoes
Add 3-4 small cans of Kidney Beans
Cook for a long time
Adjust for seasoning (add more cumin, Cayenne and Chili powder)
Make a ton of rice
Grate half a ton of cheese
The Chili should be a little too spicey so that you have to eat it with the rice and cheese.
November 7, 2007 at 8:25 pm
1 med onion – diced
1 lb beef – diced in 1/2 inch cubes
1 pablano pepper – diced
3 tbsp olive oil
put in pan, brown meat
Add (best to mix spices in a small bowl and then add to pan at once to prevent burning):
3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cocoa
1/4 tsp cayanne pepper
1 dried red pepper
1/3 cup water
Stir constantly for 1 minute. Do not burn spices.
Add
1 large can tomatoes
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can pinto or black beans
Bring to boil. Reduce head to medium-low. Stir often. Simmer until done.
November 7, 2007 at 8:31 pm
oops, forgot the garlic, got to have the garlic….
after browning the meat, add:
several cloves finely chopped garlic
November 7, 2007 at 9:01 pm
I make chili the way I make lots of things–by the seat of my pants. It’s slightly different each time. Three things I do like to do are: 1. mix 1 lb of pork, pork sausage, or venison in with the ground beef; 2. vary the chilis–fresh, dried, powdered–my faves are jalapenos; 3. chop up toasted cashews and add to the mix.
I also vary the beans–white beans and black beans both work great in chilis.
November 7, 2007 at 9:51 pm
Thats how I cook too Edgy Mama. Several years ago, someone asked me for a recipe so I wrote one down as I cooked it. That recipe was actually prepared only once. I usually make a big jar of “mexican spice” about once a year with an unmeasured variation of the list in my recipe. It ends up in every mexican dish I make for the year.
November 9, 2007 at 7:00 am
I am also a “different version of chili every time” person. And, too, it depends on whether I’m making meat or veggie variety. However, the constants are: black and kidney beans, large can of diced or crushed tomatoes, onions, garlic, hot and spicey stuff-whether fresh or dried, cumin and chili poweder. The variables include: ground beef, sweet Italian sausage, ground turkey, any leftover salsa that needs a new life experience.
Topped with cilantro, cheese, or sour cream…or all three ; )
November 16, 2007 at 5:04 pm
Whoa, Edgy Mama with the CASHEWS in CHILI! That is amazing. What a brave woman. I’m trying it.
Also, so smart with the poblano chile. I’m gonna try it this weekend.
I don’t think I’m quite up to the choco-chili challenge. Has anyone else tried it?
November 17, 2007 at 11:14 am
I’m going to make all of these in the next month or so. I’ll let you know. Let’s say by the first of the year.
November 20, 2007 at 4:42 pm
I grew up with a tomatoey, ground beef chili loaded with kidney beans. Nowadays when I have a hankerin’ for chili, I usually make the recipe below which I developed and which only has a passing kinship to the aforementioned childhood staple. This year Frank grew the most beautiful organic poblanos and jalepeños. They both turned a gorgeous red, so I smoked them with apple wood and dried them. Not only was it fun, they taste great. Adding that wonderul smokiness to any dish. I don’t really think this counts as chili, but I’ll drop off a bag of my anchos & chipotles in your cubbyhole after Thanksgiving just in case you’d like to try it.
Cut a 3½ lb. Pork Roast into small chunks. Pour boiling water over 4 ancho chiles and 2 chipotle chiles (preferably mine), set aside. Chop one large yellow onion, one large red bell pepper and 2 stalks of celery. Brown the meat in two or three batches over fairly high heat in a large dutch oven. After each batch, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a bowl. Reduce heat to medium and add veggies. Saute until softened. While veggies are sauteing, seed and peel the soaked anchos and chop with the chipotles. When the veggies are soft add 4 cloves of minced garlic, the chopped chiles, 2 tbs. of ancho powder, 1 tsp. mexican oregano and 1 tsp. of cumin and cook until fragrant. Add about 3 medium sized chopped tomatos or one small can drained. Return the meat to the pot and add enough homemade chicken stock to cover. Simmer covered for about two hours or until the meat is very tender. When the meat is done, toss in a good handful of frozen silver queen corn. While the corn is cooking, mix 4 tbs. of masa harina with enough cold water to make a paste. Stir into the stew and simmer until thickened. Serve with a good stone ground, cast-iron cornbread and pass scallions, shredded cheddar and sour cream. Use the leftovers as a fabulous enchilada filling.
January 3, 2009 at 4:11 pm
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