what is chili?

come on, guys - i know that write-up was good, but it wasn't THAT good ~ lol

my answer to "the martian" is just one angle of the whole picture that is chili in america ~ surely there's some room for discussion?

lol - the how's, where's and why's are my whole point of view ~ i'm an historian, so i look at nearly any dish, or cuisine, or method (such as barbecue) from the perspective of its origins, in the geography, the people and the cultures that produced it.

i'm interested in learning about the roots of food. the real old stuff, from way back when...what were the recipes like? what did they eat and how did they prepare it? lots of food history out there and lots of good recipes, and i like to try my hand at going back to the original, the basics. it's pretty interesting to see how across the world people developed similar methods with very different resources, or how they used similar resources to develop very different things. and then reasoing out WHY it's that way .

it's all good, as they say ~

well, hopefully by now the martian will have some idea of what chili is - basically, it's like porn - you know it when you see it!

my mother is from south-central and south-western colorado, a state with a good chili tradition. having said that, nearly every ingredient in her chili always came out of a can (tomatoes, beans etc.) and it was made from ground beef. good chili, but not probably not the real experience.

to me, chili is a celebration of four flavours: beef onions and tomato - held together by the common denominator of the chile, which provides the base and, of course, heat, to the degree that you desire. great chili doesn't have to be hot, but it should definitely be a warm, satisfying experience that will leave no doubt as to the region of origin.

i have two methods that i use for chili. one is closer to authentic, i think, and one is purely for "comfort food" or weeknight/schoolnight/worknight food.

a) for the first:

my favourite beef for chili is chuck roast, cut into cubes. if you are not familiar with this cut, any cubes cut from the neck, shoulder and upper front quarter will be fine. you want tough, hard-working, wonderfully-flavourful cuts that are going to turn perfectly tender with slow cooking.

the chiles should be dried, smoked if you can get them. they can be hot or mild as you prefer, but i recomend going on the mild side, as you can add crushed red pepper flakes to the final dish, if you prefer. reconsititute them in enough hot water to cover them, then pulverise them into a paste (instructions below). diced onions and tomatoes should be prevalent almost to the point of dominating the dish, but not quite. for liquids, you want tomato sauce and beef broth or stock.

here's a good recipe that i used as a base, then improvised for "chile colorado;" i'll post the recipe, then add my modifications:

 

Quote:

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i added to the recipe above a large diced onion, which i carmelised first in a dutch oven (with the minced garlic near the end); then i set the onions aside and seared the cubes of beef, similar to making carbonade flamande. i then prepared the peppers as described above, brought the onions, beef and chile puree together with the tomato sauce and also a can of crushed tomatoes. added the spices (including a scant tablespoon each of cumin and paprika) and broth (stock would be better, of course). into the oven at 275-300 for two hours or so, and it was really good.

the simple flavors made an almost-perfect combination. i omitted the salt, since the tomatoes and beef broth seemed to have plenty. the chiles provided the right amount of spice without being overpowering or oppressive - overall, i was impressed.

if this dish needs any thickening, masa harina or crushed tortilla chips would be best, if available - having said that, it can probably be thickened through simple reduction. beans can be added if you like, or can be served on the side in their own right. tortillas are a good way to scoop everything up.

b) the second is really just a variation on the chili my mother made when i was young. this recipe might be frowned upon by the hardcore chili-ologists, but it works and feeds two adults and four children with some leftovers for the next day. it is not meant to be a historic, authentic, definitive or "gourmet" recipe, just some very good work-night food. due to what is in the pantry or to the mood at the time, we do not use all listed herbs and spices all the time, but it seems, to me, to be much more interesting when we do. for a smaller number of people, cut recipe in half:

2 large + 1 small cans of diced tomatoes
2 large + 1 small cans of chili beans
2-3 pounds of ground meat or meat cubes (hamburger, deer, elk, chorizo, anything. i tried 1/2 ground pork and 1/2 hamburger once and it was great!)
2 small cans of tomato sauce
2 small cans of tomato paste
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
*optional - a dash or two of liquid smoke

also, combine all these spices in a container and set aside:

3 Tbsp. chili powder (or to taste)
1 Tbsp paprika (smoked, if you have it) (or to taste)
1 Tbsp. dry oregano (or to taste)
1 Tbsp. cumin (or to taste)
2 tsp. coriander (or to taste)
2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
4 beef bullion cubes, crushed (or equivalent amount in granules)

brown the hamburger with the onion and garlic on high until the "juice" is gone and you've got nothing but meat and fat left. some people like to drain the fat, some like to leave it in; i prefer to drain it. if you use meat cubes rather than burger, brown them in 2 Tbsp. of hot oil. remove from the heat, add the spices and stir well, then add tomatoes and beans, return to heat and cook, stirring constantly, until juices reduce down. add tomato sauce, tomato paste and liquid smoke (optional). bring to boiling, stirring often, then reduce heat down to low and simmer until you can't wait any longer.

this recipe relies on store-bought chili beans, which might be a no-no to the die-hards, but is essential to working parents with 4 kids. keep in mind that these store-bought beans usually already have a bit of seasoning and chili powder, so the amounts i suggest reflect that fact. this recipe also does not have jalapenos, green peppers, cayenne peppers or habaneros, although you may certainly add them if you want to.

i really like cumin, but the beautiful mrs. tas doesn't, so i often leave it out. i did add a bit of liquid smoke once (OBVIOUSLY, smoked chunks or shreds of brisket or chuck roast would be better), and got a great outdoors flavor that i really liked and my wife really hated. give it a try at your discretion.

maybe kill two birds with one stone - use the burnt ends to make chili? mrs bruno might like that!

tom and dave - thanks! i enjoyed writing it, but i certainly don't claim it to be an authoritative, perhaps an "interpretation" would be the best term.

that chili looks pretty good to me, tom ~