The Nifty50 After Glow

We have a winner!

Rookie chili cook and Brit, Stewart Marshall (with loving support form his better half Jess) took the top honours in the chili cook off contest. Stewart's Kick Ass Brick Chili (could you elaborate on the "brick" part of the name, Stewart) took home a total points of 110.5 which translated into an average of 7.89 points. Vida Morkunas "Vida Caliente" was a close runner up with an 7.8 points. Sibylle's Chocolate Lover's Delight took home third place with 7.71. It was very tough to judge the different flavours and textures and in the end, most chili's ended up within a close range of each other (*Note: some of the later contributions were not tested by a large number of guests - boy were we stuffed - so the total point count does not do their entries justice.)

There was also a great spread of side dishes from several kind of cornbreads, guacamole, tortelini (the kids were thankful for it), cheeses, breads, dips, chips, salads, salsas and chipotle, that together with the Russell Cream ale cleaned the palate between tastings.

The desert table with Black Forest Cake, Death by Chocolate, Chocolate Pudding Streusel and a couple of other unnamed delicacies rounded the evening out.

Thanks to everybody who joined into the fun and made the evening one to remember!

The Run

It was raining fairly hard as we assembled, but as luck would have it, the heavens calmed by the time everyone reached the official start line on Mosquito Creek. Here is who toed the line: Glenn Pace, Sal Bugliarisi, Al Harman, Gary Robbins, Ryan Melcher, John Machray, Ean Jackson, Ryota Inoue, Patricia Barry, Sibylle Tinsel, Colin Freeland and little runners Max, EJ Powderhound, JoJoCheesepig and wonderdog Roxy.

The Swim

Bonus: It was a loonie swim, so everyone got into the pool for a buck! Here's who started the swim: Kathy Woolverton and her 2 kids, Jill Warland and Parker Juryn, Action Jackson, EJ Powderhound, JoJo Cheesepig, Csaba Ekes, Colin Freeland, Jon Husband the Whale Shark, David and Hanna Jensen, Ryota Inoue. (Who have we missed?)

The Chili Cook-Off

Goodness... there were a lot of people and a lot of chilis! This may well become an annual thing.

Poor Ryota (who was visiting from Japan) was the first to succumb to the the siren song of the chili cook-off. He wins Purple Heart(burn) recognition as the first to overeat. Honorable mention to Stewart Woolverton and John Machray who both ate raw habaneros. Many, many thanks to John Morgan and Andrew Harris from Russell Brewing Company for the coming to the rescue with a keg of Russell Cream Ale to put out the fires that spontaneously combusted during the course of the evening.

Photos from the evening are here. If you would like to add your photos, please upload them to your Flickr account, add them to the ClubFatAss group pool and tag them with Nifty50Triathlon2007

Chili Contestants

Chili Judging:

The list is long. Our apologies if we overlooked you. Thank you Pat Barry, Michele Sherstan, Mudrunner and Ms Mud, RunRik, Paul and Joan Cubbon, Steve Deller, Lisa Osler, Vida Morkunas, Sibylle Tinsel, Ean Jackson, Eileen Bistrisky, Kathy and Stewart Wolverton, Ken and Heidi McLeod, Steven and Sheila Threndyle, Sal and Daniella Bugliarisi, Stewart and Jess Marshall, Judy Wannamaker, Hanna Latkowski, Colin and Kirsten Freeland, Gary Robbins, Al Harman, Ryan Melcher, John and Linda Machray, Patricia and David Jensen, Desmond Mott, Ethelyn David, Craig Moore, Ryota Inoue, Gabi Kwan, Melissa Crosby, Jon Husband, John Machray and Jill Warland.

(*Note: some of the later entrants were not tested by a large number of guests, so they may not have been allocated the points they might otherwise have earned.)

We will attempt to list all recipes here (please email to the hosts):

# 1 - Jackson's Snakebite Texas Chili Con Carne

Chili con Carne means "chili with meat" en Espanol. No beans in this chili, ladies and gentlemen! Unfortunately, the rattlesnake I'd planned to surprise you with was turned around at the border for some reason. Warning, not for children or the faint of heart unless accompanied by a liter of cool Russell Cream Ale.

• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 kilo boneless beef chuck roast cut into cubes
• 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons of chili powder
• 3-4 beer bottles of water
• 3 tablespoons of masa harina (cornmeal will do in a pinch)
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 3 tablespoons of fresh ground pepper
• 2 small cans of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 250 ml of salsa verde (I use homemade, but substitue a can in a pinch)
• sour cream
• 500 ml Russell Cream Ale (substitute bottled dark ale in a pinch)
• 1 shot of tequila
• 2 fresh habanero peppers, chopped fine (Texans would add a handful more, but even this many will cause most Canadians to faint)

1. Heat 1/2 the oil in your pot over medium heat until hot; brown beef in batches then remove from heat and put in a bowl. Throw in your chili powder and mix with the meat.

2. Heat the rest of the oil in same pot over medium heat until hot; add garlic, onions and saute. Add the beef and rest of the ingredients. Pour in your beer and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover tightly and simmer 1.5 - 2 hours or until beef is fork-tender.

3. Stir in masa harina and return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Serve with sour cream and a plastic rattlesnake if you can't find the real thing.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Sources: A variety of internet websites as well as having lived in Mexico and Texas, where folks take their chili very seriously.

# 2 - Chocolate Lover's Delight

This is a German recipe that claims Mexican ancestry and has been modified to include chocolate, coffee and beer. Nothing Texan about it. Beans and ground beef all the way. Smooth taste with a nice afterglow.

• 1000g lean ground beef
• 1 tblsp vegetable oil
• 3 chopped onions
• 1 bulb garlic minced
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• 4 fresh diced tomatoes
• ground cayenne pepper to taste
• 2 tsp ground cumin to taste
• 2 tsp (or more)
• ground chili powder
• 2 tblsp dried oregano
• 8 fresh chopped hot jalapeno or Thai peppers
• 2 tblsp dark cocoa powder
• 50g dark chocolate
• 500ml malt beer or dark ale
• 1 can of rinsed kidney beans

Sautee onions and garlic in the oil. Add ground meat and spices and brown. Add tomato sauce, fresh tomatoes and beer. Simmer for 3 hours (or more). Add kidney beans, simmer some more. Add beer to adjust thickness if needed. Add more spices to taste. Serve with Sibylle's special cornbread or rice.

Very loosely adapted from: Sinn fuer gute Kueche, Band 1, by Christine Bittermann

# 6 - Stew's Kick Ass Brick Chili

Like most stews, it's even better the next day. So do yourself a favour. Make it yesterday.

• 6 slices uncooked hickory-smoked thick bacon, cut into cubes
• 2 large yellow onions, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, if needed
• 5 pounds lean beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 x 28oz can whole tomatoes
• 21/2 cups canned beef broth
• quarter cup ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  

1. In large skillet, fry bacon over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, until crisp, stirring periodically. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a large stockpot.
2. Add onions to the skillet, reduce heat to low, and cook until onions begin to wilt and turn translucent (about 5 minutes). Using a slotted spoon, transfer onions to the stockpot.
3. Add vegetable oil to the skillet if needed (if there is sufficient bacon fat remaining for browning beef chuck). Sauté beef, a few cubes at a time, until just browned on all sides. As meat is browned, place in stockpot.
4. Add tomatoes and their juice to the stockpot. Crush tomatoes slightly with the side of a spoon. Stir in all remaining ingredients.
5. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam or fat that rises to the top. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 3 hours, until meat is very tender and sauce is thick.
6. Serve in deep soup bowls, along with saltines.

6-8 servings

Source: The Northern Exposure Cookbook, Ellis Weiner, Contemporary Books, 1993, ISBN 0-8092-3760-1

p.s. we would have been happier with more spice, but it gave a nice glow!

#8 - Valley Veggie Chili

• 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

• Extra Special Secret Ingredients added to taste:

  • Paprika
  • Chipotle Sauce
  • Chocolate or cocoa powder
  • Honey
  • Maple Syrup
  • Vanilla
  • Cinnamon
  • More garlic
  • Love

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.

# 12 - Vida Caliente

Oh what a fun party last night!!! Here is the recipe to the chili I brought. It's from a recipe book I created (notebook) from clipping out recipes from magazines. This is vintage 1988, and I think it's fromGourmet. Those were the days :)

Ingredients

• 2 yellow onions
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 garlic head (with all its little cloves) shredded fine
• 3 pounds of boneless beef chuck, lean-lean
• 1/4 c. chili powder
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 1.5 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 2 Tablespoons paprika
• 1 Tablespoon oregano
• 1.5 Tablespoons dried hot red pepper flakes
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
• 1 can chicken broth
• 3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 19 oz can of red kidney beans - drained and rinsed
• 3 green bell peppers, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Assembly

In a kettle, cook the onion and the garlic in the oil, covered, over
moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until it is softened.

Add the beef - cook it over the heat, stirring and breaking up the lumps,
over 10 minutes, until the beef is no longer pink.

Add the chili powder, the cumin, the cocoa powder, the paprika, the oregano,
the red pepper flakes and the bay leaves and cook the mixture, stirring, for
about a minute

Add the tomato sauce, the broth and the vinegar, bring the mixture to a boil
and simmer it, covered, stirring occasionally for about an hour

Add the kidney beans, the bell peppers, and the salt and black pepper to
taste, and simmer the mixture, uncovered, for 4 hours, on minimum heat.

Discard the bay leaf.

Pour the chili into Gladware, let cool, place in fridge, let sit for a day
before serving. Add more water if necessary when reheating the chili.

**bonus ingredients**

I used about 4Tbsp of cocoa powder, not 1.5
I threw 1 jalapeno pepper and 1 serrano pepper (seeded) into the food
processor, together with the garlic cloves. Mucho caliente !!
Two hours into the simmer, the chili needed some liquid enhancement. I
poured in half a litre of French Rabbit (red wine) I found lurking in the
back of the fridge

#14 Wholey Smoke Chili

Thanks for the great evening! Sorry to have showed up so late, I should have dropped off my chili entry the day before to get into all the judge's tummys. Here's the recipe, more or less, there may or may not have been a secret spice ingredient added to the following:

• 6 dried Ancho chilis
• 6 dried red New Mexican chilis
• 2 dried Chipotle chilis
• 3 cups boiling water
• 1 tin red pimentos, drained (2 large whole pimento peppers)
• 2lbs boneless beef short ribs, cut in 1/4" cubes
• 1 lb boneless lean pork chops, cut in 1/4" cubes
• 2 medium cooking onions, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 3 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons low sodium beef broth powder
• ground Chipotle powder
• ground Cayenne powder

Remove all stems and seeds from dried chilis. Place in bowl or flat cake pan, pour boiling water over, cover to soak. Let stand for 15 minutes. After chilis have softened, puree with pimentos and soaking water in blender or food processor.

Sauté the meat until browned. Add onions and garlic, cook for 10 more minutes, stirring constantly.

Stir in cumin, oregano, honey, tomato sauce and beef broth powder and simmer for 1/2 hour.

Add the pureed chili paste and simmer another 1/2 hour.

Taste, adjust smoke flavour and/or heat by adding Chipotle powder (smokey heat) or Cayenne powder (heat)

Continue to simmer uncovered until correct chili thickness is achieved. Add water or beer from cook's ever present mug if thinning is required.

2009 Silly Chili Triathlon

More photos are posted to this slideshow.

The Run.  13 starters.  All finished.  When we met at Griffin gym, it was pouring, but the rain mercifully stopped for an hour as we did intervals on Mosquito Creek trail.  Keegan Freeland was the speedster of the group.

The Swim.  17 starters.  Nobody drowned.  After a few laps, most of us played pile-on the plastic raft and Dads against the dudes.  At one point there were 5 kids and 4 parents on-board.

The Chili Cook Off.  It was a full house this year with well over 35 people and 15 fabulous chilies.  (Regrets to those who were turned away... no more room in the kitchen!) 

The competition was stiff and the variety was pleasing to any palate.  Vegetarian.  With beans.  No beans.  Beef, pork and buffalo meat and possibly a cat or a skunk and lots of cold beer to douse the fire. 

There were no 3rd degree burns reported this year nor were there any prolonged visits to the facilities.  ("Trash talking" Machray, the most infamous chili-eater in these parts was conspicuously absent.  Maybe substituting pepper vodka for white wine in a recent wine tasting scared him off?) 

Bragging rights go to last years' champs Rick and Debbie for "Where there's smoke, there's fire".  Congrats to all and many thanks for a wonderful evening!

Sibylle and Ean

Lost and Found: A few items were left behind. Please email Sibylle if one of them is yours: black leather gloves, black shawl, small glass bowl, small white and black bowl, 2 identical forks, 1 tablespoon (Reagan, this one matches the little one you took home, must be yours ;-).  

Contestants (first three were top three, all others are listed in no particular order)

Chili Cook	Chili Name	Top Three Scores
Rick Arikado	Where There's Smoke There's Fire	1 - 7.83
Eileen Bistrisky	All About Orange	2 - 7.5
Patricia and Hannah Jensen	Mighty Bean Chili	3 - 7.3
Louise Arronson and Tim Maguire	Burning House
Sibylle Tinsel	Chocolate Chunk Chili
Ean Jackson	Jackson's Boys Buff Chili
Craig Moore and Ethelyn David	Fl/uke Organic Chili (vegetarian)
Colin and Kirsten Freeland	Freeland Veggi Chili (vegetarian)
Steve Deller	Forever Late
Karl Jensen and Lorraine Suomi	Flatulent Fool
Wendy Montgomery	Road Kill
Claudia Bulligton	Eric's Saturn Veggie Chili (vegetarian)
Jill Warland and Matt W.	Soup of the Devil
Reagan and Carter White	El Paso Especial

Recipes

Please send us your recipes and we will post below.
 

Karl and Lorraine's Flatulent Fool Chili

Rick's Where There's Smoke There's Fire

Meat, peppers and spices ONLY! No beans, no "fillers", no tomato products.

6 dried Ancho chilies
6 dried red New Mexican chilies
6 dried Chipotle chilies
1 fresh Habanero pepper, finely minced
4 cups boiling water
1 quart jar roasted sweet red peppers, drained, seeded
2” to 3” long cinnamon stick
2lbs boneless beef cut in 1/2" cubes
2lbs boneless lean pork cut in 1/2" cubes
2 tablespoons peanut oil (or other high-smoke temp oil)
1 large cooking onion, chopped
6 cloves minced fresh garlic 1/2 cup Jack Daniels whiskey (or more )
1 cup low sodium beef broth
3 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, ground
1 sweet red pepper
2 tablespoons honey
Powdered dried Chipotle peppers
Powdered dried Cayenne peppers
1 bunch fresh cilantro, stemmed and roughly chopped
Juice of half a large fresh lime

Remove and discard all stems and seeds from dried chilis. Place chilies in bowl or flat cake pan, pour boiling water over, cover to soak. Let stand for 15 minutes. After chilis have softened, puree  in blender or food processor with habanero, roasted red peppers and enough of soaking water to help process. Reserve  the remainder of the soaking water.

In a separate small pot, boil the reserved soaking water with the cinnamon stick until liquid is reduced by half. Toss out the cinnamon stick when done.

Brown the meat in oil in a large cast iron frying pan, in small batches to ensure "browning". Move batches to large pot as they are done. Sauté onions for 10 minutes, stirring constantly, add garlic the last few minutes. Take care not to burn garlic to cause very bitter taste.  Deglaze pan with Jack Daniels and half a cup of the reduced soaking water.  Stir, reclaiming all the brown bits from pan bottom.  Pour into pot with meat.

Stir in cumin, oregano, coriander and beef broth, bring to a boil then simmer.

 Add the pureed chili paste and simmer for hours until thickened to desired consistency.  Taste, adjust smoke flavour and/or heat by adding Chipotle powder (smoky heat) or Cayenne powder (heat).

Just before serving, stir in chopped fresh cilantro and fresh lime juice.

Note: We use very little salt in our home cooked food, so none is shown other than what comes in the beef broth. Others may find they need to add to taste.

Eileen’s All About Orange Chili Recipe 

Ingredients:

3-4 tablespoons olive oil
2 organic yellow onions
1 bulb of garlic
3.5 lbs extra lean ground beef
1 beef bouillon cube
2 cups water
1 cup pumpkin ale
1 yam
3 organic carrots
Squash
Herbs de provence
Chili powder
Celery salt
3 156 ml cans of tomato paste
Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco sauce
Brown sugar
Ground nutmeg & Ground cloves

Directions:

Chop onions and garlic.  Chop equal portions of carrots, yam & squash into small cubes. Depending on the size of your pan, you may want to do part one in batches.  They can be added to the pot one at a time.

Part one:

In a very large pan, heat olive oil (medium high heat).  Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent, stirring frequently (about 8 – 10 minutes).  Add beef in batches and stir, breaking up the beef until brown.  Stir in herbs, chili powder, celery salt, and tomato paste.

Part two:

While onions & beef are browning, bring two cups of water to a boil.  Add beef bouillon cube & stir.  Add to big pot along with 1 cup beer.  Add carrots, yam & squash.  Heat to boil, then simmer.

Add beef from part one into part two’s pot and stir.  Continue stirring and add Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, brown sugar, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves to taste.  Continue simmering and stirring until you feel it’s done.

Wendy's Road Kill

Ingredients

7 lbs beef, trimmed and cut into 1inch to 2 inch cubes (they will break up during cooking) -- your choice of cut --
Approx 7 cups beef broth (4 14-1/2 oz cans)
3/4 cup olive oil
15 cloves garlic -- finely chopped 
3/4 cup flour or masa harina
1 bottle beer
3 oz tequila -- if of legal age, 4-1/2 oz
3 oz blackstrap molasses
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
2 tablespoons cumin
1/3 cup chili powder (to taste)
1 dash ginger
1 dash nutmeg
1 tspn salt
1 tspn ground black pepper
1 tspn white pepper
1 tspn cayenne pepper
5 oz jarred hot jalapeno peppers and juice or equivalent quantity of sliced fresh hot jalapeno peppers.

For the six-alarm version, also add a similar quantity of sliced jarred habanero peppers, or
fresh ones.

Directions

Place beef in a Dutch oven or similar large pot in the olive oil and cook low heat until browned.  Add 3 oz tequila and stir -- if using the legal age variant, drink the other 1-1/2 oz tequila. Stir in garlic.  Slowly add a mixture of the flour (I used masa harina) and chili powder, stirring constantly to blend in evenly. Add beer... stir. Add molasses... stir. Add cumin and oregano by rubbing them between the palms of your hands... stir. Add peppers and remaining spices... stir. Add all but one can (all but approx. 2 cups) beef broth, stirring. 

Bring to a slow boil for a 1/2 hour or so, stirring often, then lower heat and simmer for a while, stirring occasionally.

Do not be worried if it sticks a bit to the bottom of the pan, just make sure to scrape those parts up when stirring (a wooden spoon is good for this)... those bits add flavor  ;)

At some point a couple of hours into the simmering when it's cooked away a good bit of broth, remove from heat and allow to come to room temperature, then place in fridge for a few hours until cold (if you are in a hurry, this step can be skipped, but I think it helps).

Anytime within the next 12 hours after chilled, resume cooking over low heat. When nearly at chili-like consistency, add the remaining beef broth. Cook until at proper chili consistency again, and serve with rice.

Sibylle's Chocolate Chunk Chili

1kg beef - cut into 1.5cm cubes
10 garlic gloves - chopped
1 large cooking onion
2 red bell peppers - chopped into small strips
1 green bell peppers - chopped into small strips
10 fresh red hot chilies - chopped
6 tomatoes - diced
2-3 tbs cocoa powder
50g dark chocolate chips
1 tblsp ground coffee
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
2 tblsp honey
1 bottle beer
dried whole oregano
1 tblsp vegetable oil
2 tblsp masa harina or cornmeal

Day before: Brown the meat in cast iron skillet, add onions, garlic, red and green bell peppers, chili peppers and cook for 5 min.  Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients.  Simmer on low for several hours.  Refrigerate over night.
Day of: reheat slowly, adjust spices to taste.  Serve with sour cream and fresh green onions and or coriander

Sibylle's Cornbread

Jackson Boys' Buff Chili

• 1.5kg )3 lbs) lean buffalo meat cut into about 1cm cubes
• 50g (6 tablespoons) chili powder
• 3 tablespoon ground oregano
• 6 cloves garlic, minced (I used fresh garlic from our garden)
• 3 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• small can of chipotle peppers
• 950-1400 mL water (1-1.5 quarts)
• 1.5 tablespoons salt, or to taste
• 50g masa trigo, masa harina or cornmeal

• trim fat from edges of roast. Render enough fat from trimming to cover the bottom of a cast-iron Dutch oven
• remove pieces of fat, then sear the meat in hot fat until meat is brown and most of the water given up by the meat during cooking has boiled away
• add chili powder, cumin, cayenne and about 1/2 can of chipotles. Stir well to coat meat
• add water even to level of meat. Stir well.
• bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 to 1.5 hours until meat is tender. Stir occasionally and add more water if needed
• make a thick paste by stirring water into masa or cornmeal. Stir to remove lumps. Add to chili
• simmer another 30-45 minutes to thicken and reduce the chili to desired consistency
• add salt, more chipotle, cayenne or chili to taste

A Real Texas Chili, Eh!

I have been researching chili recipes, cook off traditions and scoring etiquette in preparation for next Sundays bash at the T/J's.

The debate in our house over beans or no beans has been raging for years (unrelated to the chili cook off next week I might add).  Never having lived or even been in Texas, my authentic Mexican chili (according to the German recipe book I gleaned it from) includes beans.  Action Jackson, born and bred north of the 49th, claims to know the secret of a real Texan chili...and insists there are no beans in a Texan chili.  Action Jackson must know - he did live a while in Texas! Heck, I thought chili was Mexican.

Well, the Texan's do take there chili seriously.  And not having beans in it is a matter of pride.  As Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States said: "Chili concocted outside of Texas is usually a weak, apologetic imitation of the real thing. One of the first things I do when I get home to Texas is to have a bowl of red. There is simply nothing better." 

Hm, we shall see!  I did discover that even though Texan's lay claim to the original chili, the tradition seems influenced by immigrants from Spain and Macedonia, among others.  The Mexican's meanwhile have this to say (in the Diccionario de Mejicanismos, published in 1959): “detestable food passing itself off as Mexican, sold in the U.S. from Texas to New York”

I am certainly looking forward to dinner on Sunday!

The Chili Dilemma (continued)

I went to shop for some of my chili ingredients today.  Jackson accepted my challenge to concoct his own "authentic" chili.  He found a rattlesnake meat supplier, but the rattlesnake got stopped at the border.  I am not kidding.  Instead of rattlesnake I got beef for Jackson, not the ground kind...apparently he is chopping the meat up to desired bite size pieces.

I had studied the lore of chili's over the last couple of days and went shopping with the thought in mind that I am going to create an "authentic" chili (no beans no ground meat) but use my bastard recipe (beans and ground meat) as a base to work from.  Just before the checkout, I realized that I don't really give a darn about authenticity when it comes to chili. Sorry, Texans!  Who gives you the right to claim the yummy chili as your own, exclude beans and ground meat?  Back went the chunk of beef and with determination I paid for the ground beef.

Really, you chili snobs, what it comes down to is the taste...I have my secret ingredients at the ready.  Let the battle of the chili's begin.

Oh, one last word.  With all this purist talk about Texan chili's, I fear we are scaring off the vegans and vegetarian.  Please do not feel intimidated and bring your vegetarian chili version before the judge.  It's the taste that counts.  Rules are there to be broken ;-)