Cooks Corner

THE NEW TOWN PRESS presents: The Cook's Corner Featured Article by Jean Redstone

Does anyone else find it ironic that we concoct a dish called “chili” to warm us up on a cold day? Yes. I know the dish is named for the peppers that create the heat, but we could have named it “peppers” or “warmup” and avoid confusion.

When I was a kid I thought chili was so named because we mostly had it in the winter. Now, of course, it’s a year-round meal and popular at summer barbecues, but in New England, chili was a sure-fire way to warm up the insides on a freezing night.

Simple, filling, and inexpensive, chili only requires two ingredients – hot peppers or chili powder and kidney beans. Everything else in the dish is open to interpretation. People love to tinker with chili, adding everything they can think of in pursuit of that elusive burning mouth but wonderfully delicious heat.

The following are very basic chili recipes you should feel free to use as a starting place to tinker and experiment. Chili can be made ahead and reheated, which usually increases its “hotness.” And you can stretch the batch, making it even cheaper to serve, by adding minute rice to the dish just before cooking is done, or by spooning the chili over brown or white rice or over noodles, such as egg or spinach noodles.

VERY BASIC CHILI

3 lb. ground meat, usually beef

3 large onions

3 large cans of tomatoes

3 large cans tomato sauce

3 large bay leaves

4 tsp. salt (or less, to taste)

¼ tsp. plus a pinch EACH of cayenne pepper and paprika

4 tsp. chili powder

3 cans of kidney beans

Brown the beef and onions in a large skillet. Add salt and cayenne pepper, to taste. Drain off fat. Place meat in a large pot and add remaining ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer slowly for three hours. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

CLASSIC CHILI CON CARNE

1 to 2 lbs. ground beef or lamb (or both)

1 ¼ C canned tomatoes or stewed tomatoes

2 to 4 C canned kidney beans

½ C chopped onion

!/2 clove of garlic, chopped or ¼ tsp. garlic powder

2 to 3 Tbs. bacon drippings or butter

¾ tsp salt or more, to taste

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. to 2 Tbs. chili powder

¼ C dry red wine (optional)

In a large frying pan melt bacon drippings or butter and add onion and garlic. Saute until onion is clear. Add meat and cook until well done. Drain fat and place in a big pot. Add all the other ingredients and stir. Cover and simmer at least one hour. The longer the chili cooks, the thicker it will become. Serve in bowls topped with shredded cheese and/or a dollop of sour cream as a garnish. Makes 8 servings.

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Cooks Corner
The New Town Press
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Woolwich Twp., NJ 08085

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