Chili Con Carne

Photo from cookscountrytv.com

I am not a big fan of chili with beans. I'm not entirely sure why but it could be that I grew up eating beans for breakfast, lunch and dinner (pinto beans to be exact) and now I'm just not that into legumes. It's not just pintos, but even black beans, Navy beans and kidney beans. So when I saw this "chili" recipe sans beans, I just had to try it. I made it for my hubby and my brother-in-law. Although they both liked it, I think they were expecting the beans, but it was still very good and it has quite a TexMex flavor kick. This chili con carne tastes great served over steamed, white rice. I found that it tasted even better the next day.

INGREDIENTS (serves 6)

• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 4 slices bacon , chopped fine
• 1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast , trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1 jalapeño chile , seeded and chopped fine
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 garlic cloves , minced
• 4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons yellow corn muffin mix, such as Jiffy Mix

DIRECTIONS

1. Process tomatoes and chipotle in food processor until smooth. Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate and reserve 3 tablespoons bacon fat.
2. Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon reserved bacon fat in empty Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of beef, about 8 minutes. Transfer to bowl and repeat with additional tablespoon bacon fat and remaining beef.
3. Add remaining bacon fat, onion, and jalapeño to empty Dutch oven and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, oregano, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in water, pureed tomato mixture, bacon, browned beef, and sugar and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Skim fat and continue to simmer uncovered until meat is tender, 30 to 45 minutes.
4. Ladle 1 cup chili liquid into medium bowl and stir in muffin mix; cover with plastic wrap. Microwave until mixture is thickened, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk mixture into chili and simmer until chili is slightly thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve. (Chili can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Vegetarian Chili for a Funeral

It's been quite a scary week so far.

Stock market is down.

The global economy is getting shaken up.

My husband is somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic God knows doing what for Uncle Sam.

Obama's lead is just one point now.

And David Foster Wallace killed himself last Friday.

So, yeah, it's been quite ominous to say the least. But, as always, I'm thinking about food and I pondered: what would David Foster Wallace (DFW) want to be served at his funeral? What would this great writer, who particularly didn't like using periods¹ but loved commas—and loved using footnotes—would want his guests to eat while they reminisced, and cried, and laughed, about his great, yet short life? DFW was born in Ithaca, grew up in central Illinois, got his Master's in Arizona and died in California...hmmm, WWDFWE?

But of course, vegetarian chili!²

INGREDIENTS (serves 8)

• 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
• 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained
• 2 (12 ounce) packages vegetarian burger crumbles
• 3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 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

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the olive oil 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 peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.
2. 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.
3. Remeber to have grated chedder cheese, chopped onions, jalapenos, sour cream, and any of your favorite toppings on the side for the chili. Enjoy!

¹ For example, in his book Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, DFW's chapter called "Death Is Not the End"—which I just realized it's eerily weird that that's the first thing that came to mind when I wrote this—he writes for two and-a-half pages without using a period. My goodness, man, I had to take a deep breath once the period finally appeared!

² I know you're probably thinking maybe it should have been lobster, or lobster rolls, but that would have been too easy, don't you think?

R.I.P. DFW

No-Bean Chicken Chili

It's no secret that my husband (and pretty much all men, I think) cuts the cheese a lot. Often times, the culprits are beans or green veggies or even ice cream that causes this phenomena to him. So I wanted to make a beanless chili so that he could enjoy the Southwestern chili taste without the "tooting," if you know what I mean! I found this recipe (yes, it's another Barefoot Contessa recipe that I modified to work for me) and I have to say that I think it rivals Dave Bagg's chili recipe. I'm thinking Chili-Off!

INGREDIENTS (makes 4 to 6 servings)

• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon extra for chicken
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
• 1 yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
• 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika (optional)
• 1 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for chicken
• 1 (35-ounce) can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes in puree, undrained (use canned plum tomatoes is you can't find San Marzano)
• 6 fresh basil leaves, minced
• 1 split chicken breasts, bone in, skin on (2 breast halves)
• Freshly ground black pepper
Toppings:

• Chopped onions, Fritos, grated sharp cheddar, sour cream and cilantro

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot, cook the onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, paprika, and salt. Cook for 1 minute.Add the red and yellow bell peppers and then crush the tomatoes by hand or in batches in a food processor fitted with a steel blade (pulse 6 to 8 times). Add to the pot with the basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.



Meanwhile, rub the chicken breasts with 1 teaspoon olive oil and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast the chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, until just cooked through. Let cool slightly. Separate the meat from the bones and skin and cut it into 1/2-inch chunks. Add to the chili and simmer, uncovered, for another 20 minutes. Serve with the toppings, or refrigerate and reheat gently before serving.

Dave Baggs Ultimate Chili

Last Saturday it was Girls Night In (yeah, we're too lame to go out and party) and my sister-in-law made us her dad's famous chili. Why is it famous, you ask? Well, seems that this chili was the winner of a couple of Chili Cook-Off's in Crested Butte, Colorado. This chili is actually more like a hearty soup and it's excellent for those cold, winter evenings in San Diego when the temperature drops to 50! ;-)

INGREDIENTS (makes a lot of chili)

• 2 pounds lean ground beef, or ground turkey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 (28 oz.) cans whole tomatoes, chopped (you can use cans of chopped tomatoes, but if you want to do it the Baggs way, you gotta buy whole tomatoes, then chop them...yeah, it's a Baggs thing), with juices reserved
• 2 (16 oz) cans beans in chili
• 1 can (4oz.) Ortega chopped green chilies
• 1 large onion, chopped + 1/2 cup reserved for topping
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 pickled jalapenos, finely chopped (use one or omit it altogether if you're a wuss)
• 1 1/2 oz. Gephardt’s Eagle Brand Chili powder (yes, that's half the bottle and it has to be Gephardt’s for the recipe to work...yet, another Baggs thing)
• Grated cheddar cheese, for topping
• Fritos, for topping

DIRECTIONS

In a large skillet, cook the beef, add salt, and cook until no longer pink. Drain, reserving about a tablespoon of the grease. Set cooked ground beef aside.

In a large stewpot, on medium-high heat, add the reserved grease. Sauté the onion, green bell pepper, celery, and green chilies for 3 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, beans, cooked ground beef, jalapenos, and chili powder. Add the reserved tomato juices, water (two 28 oz. can-fulls), or to your desired consistency. You want the chili to be more like a soup, so add more or less water. Simmer for 2 hours.

Serve with chopped onions, grated cheese and Fritos, as toppings.