What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[Evo]

Ive heard a lot about chilli, but what is it exactly?

To add to lisab's description, it's a thick soup or stew traditionally made with meat, chiles and oregano. But now there are so many variations, some chili isn't even recognizable as chili.

According to research, the first chili made in the US was in San Antonio, TX and this is the recipe, or a close fascimile.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4108397

 

[turbo]

My chili has evolved over the years. I brown hamburg and ground pork, add chopped onions, minced garlic, green peppers, and chilies, and brown them a bit, too. Then a large can of ground tomatoes, a couple of cans of black beans (undrained), salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, cayenne, oregano, and whatever else strikes my fancy. Lately, I've also been adding a couple of varieties of my chili relishes, for a richer chili taste and more complex heat. The chili relishes include pure habanero (red or green), a blend of super chilies and jalapeno chilies, and the "clean-up" batch that contains all three varieties, that I made after I picked all the remaining peppers in advance of a predicted frost.

Like Evo said, there are many variations. Purists might not care for my variation, but there's nothing like a big bowl of it with some fresh-baked biscuits, especially after spending time outside on a cold winter day.

 

[wolram]

Biscuits with chili?

 

[Evo]

Biscuits with chili?

American biscuits, not cookies. You British are so confused.

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1673191

 

[turbo]

Biscuits with chili?

New England biscuits are flaky layered pastry-type quick-breads that are to die for.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biscuit

A favorite Maine recipe uses Bakewell cream.

http://www.yankeegrocery.com/bakewell_cream.html

 

[wolram]

American biscuits, not cookies. You British are so confused.

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1673191

Hey ,it is you Americans that are cockeyed calling bread a biscuit.

 

[turbo]

You Brits call cookies biscuits - how messed up is that? Of course when you got stuck in your boot, you could have been locked in the trunk of your car.

 

[wolram]

And Americans smack ladies on the F---Y, wiked people.

 

[lisab]

And Americans smack ladies on the F---Y, wiked people.

Can't get yourself to type it!

Funny thing is, it's a woman's first name in the US. Not common, though.

 

[turbo]

When I was a kid, one of my early babysitters was a teenager nick-named kitty. Her real name was Priscilla, and she was very pretty. Times change.

 

[wolram]

To attempt to steer you sex mad Americans back on topic, Turbo do you prefer black beans to chili beans?

 

[lisab]

To attempt to steer you sex mad Americans back on topic, Turbo do you prefer black beans to chili beans?

 

[Evo]

Beans are illegal in Texas Chili.

Chili cookoffs are BIG in Texas with the World Championship cookoff is inTerlingua, TX each year. For you Yankees and British people, here are rules on attending said cookouts.

Pointers and suggestions to aid in optimizing the total chili cookoff experience.

1. Arrive in pickup truck, the bigger the better. If you don't have one borrow one. You may substitute an SUV if it is the size of a small house, gets 3-7 miles to the gallon and made in the USofA. What ever you drive, it must have a tailgate.

2. Ice chests. The more and the bigger the better. These should be filled with beer and ice and no more than 4-5 soft drinks and these should be Dr Peppers preferably bottled in Dublin, Texas.

3. Beer and how much. Preferably Lone Star and/or Shiner. No imported beer unless it's from Mexico. Best rule of thumb is two cases per cookoff day. In case of a beer emergency, you'll want to be able to share with a fellow in need.

4. Food. White bread, baloney, American cheese and mustard and a half dozen onions should do if you're planning full serious meals; a couple of bags of pigskins (the hot kind) if you're just going to snack. You'll also need coffee and a pint of Wild Turkey or bottle of tequila to cut the dust out of your mouth in the morning.

5. Camping gear. You'll want to stay for the whole cookoff so plan to stay at least one, possibly two nights. Gear should include a sleeping bag, a gas stove, flashlight and a coffee pot. Tents are too much trouble. Typically you'll throw your sleeping bag into the bed of the truck and crash there. And don't worry about rain. It almost never rains.

6. Lawn chairs. At least two, any style.

7. Tables are optional. That's what a tailgate's for.

8. A Texas flag or two.

It's aso important to know what to wear. Dress for comfort. Blue jeans are always acceptable and, in warm weather, shorts. Sandals, sneakers or hiking boots work for footwear. Or you can go barefoot. A ball cap with some sort of logo is also acceptable. The logo should be for a beer brand, a tractor brand or a football team (high school or professional). T shirts of any type with any logo or picture on front works. All shirts should have sleeves of some sort or someone might mistake you for a redneck and they won't share their beer and pig skins (the hot kind) which could be hazardous in case of a beer or food emergency. And that's how fights get started.

For women it's the same as above but tighter and shorter. (Note: if you are going to go "western' with the a cowboy hat, jeans, pearl snap shirt, boots and a dinner plate-size belt buckle then you'd better be ready to defend your cowboyness. Failing to do so is how fights get started. Most Texans don't dress like that anyways.)

Don't worry about your Yankee accent. At cookoffs everyone's welcome and everybody's equal. And please don't try to talk Texan. You won't fool anyone and that's how fights get started.

Dropping names is a good way to make friends and influence folks at a cookoff. Willie Nelson, George Jones and Bob Wills are good names to throw down. Don't ever mention Nashville. That's how fights get started.

And don't discuss politics. You might get a hold of a Yeller Dog Democrat and they're kinda touchy these days.

Most importantly eat as much chili as you are able and have as much fun as possible.

http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/FOOD_IS_ART_II/southern_cooking/texas_chili_cookoff.html

 

[wolram]

Sounds like heaven to me.

 

[turbo]

To attempt to steer you sex mad Americans back on topic, Turbo do you prefer black beans to chili beans?

Black beans are 'WAY better than most other canned beans when you want to make some chili. I use not only the beans, but all the juice in each can.

 

[wolram]

Is there a quick method for chili, under 1 hr?

Yippee i bought black beans.

 

[turbo]

Sear chopped onions, garlic, and chilies and brown some ground beef and ground pork. Then start playing around with other ingredients if you haven't done this before. I would suggest a big can of ground Italian tomatoes, a couple of cans of black beans, and some curry, crushed red pepper, black pepper, cayenne, salt, oregano, and whatever else strikes your fancy. The more (varieties) of hot stuff, the more complex the burn, and the better the chili, IMO. You've got to experiment a bit to get good at this, but I'll bet you'll get pretty good pretty fast.

 

[lisab]

Sear chopped onions, garlic, and chilies and brown some ground beef and ground pork. Then start playing around with other ingredients if you haven't done this before. I would suggest a big can of ground Italian tomatoes, a couple of cans of black beans, and some curry, crushed red pepper, black pepper, cayenne, salt, oregano, and whatever else strikes your fancy. The more (varieties) of hot stuff, the more complex the burn, and the better the chili, IMO. You've got to experiment a bit to get good at this, but I'll bet you'll get pretty good pretty fast.

My sister-in-law makes a pretty good quick-chili that's much like this, but she uses tomato sauce instead of canned tomatoes. That way, they're already cooked down.

Also, if the meat is very lean, the spices won't dissolve quickly enough in water-based sauce. Add a bit of corn oil, or some other oil, and the spices will dissolve in the oil. (This usually isn't a problem with chili that's cooked a long time.)

 

[Evo]

Evo<-----Chili purist

Born and raised in Texas.

Chili has no beans. You dang heritical varmints.

The official chili sanctioning body in Texas is the Chili Appreciation Society International, CASI. CASI makes the rules. They award points to the best ten cookers and these points can qualify a team for the World Chili Championship held the first Saturday of November in the dusty ghost town of Terlingua. It's important to note that CASI is a not-for-profit organization and all proceeds from one of their sanctioned event go to local charities.

I've won two chili cookoffs (at work).

There is only one kind of chili recognized by CASI: Texas red. No fillers are allowed, or as the rules state: "NO FILLERS IN CHILI - Beans, macaroni, rice, hominy, or other similar ingredients are not permitted." (In Texas putting beans in chili has replaced horse thievery as the number one hanging offense.)

I use what is called "chili grind" of my beef, a rougher grind than hamburger. Hunt's petite diced tomatoes, cumin, onions, garlic, oregano, red chile peppers, a nice green jalapeno, chopped, is tasty, masa harina at the end for thickening, HOT Paprika (worth finding), no sweet paprika, a bottle of good beer, and a bay leaf. Served over hot, buttered rice.

 

[wolram]

Evo<-----Chili purist

Born and raised in Texas.

Chili has no beans. You dang heritical varmints.



I use what is called "chili grind" of my beef, a rougher grind than hamburger. Hunt's petite diced tomatoes, cumin, onions, garlic, oregano, red chile peppers, a nice green jalapeno, chopped, is tasty, masa harina at the end for thickening, HOT Paprika (worth finding), no sweet paprika, a bottle of good beer, and a bay leaf. Served over hot, buttered rice.

I have every thing for this dish, apart from the meat and tomatoes, oh and masa harina, i will look that up, this sounds nice, apart from the rice.

 

[wolram]

My sister-in-law makes a pretty good quick-chili that's much like this, but she uses tomato sauce instead of canned tomatoes. That way, they're already cooked down.

Also, if the meat is very lean, the spices won't dissolve quickly enough in water-based sauce. Add a bit of corn oil, or some other oil, and the spices will dissolve in the oil. (This usually isn't a problem with chili that's cooked a long time.)

Good tip, i will remeber that one.

 

[chaoseverlasting]

Wow! Sound like I definitely have to try chilli. Seems to be a lot like bolognaise sauce. Or is that completely off?

 

[NateTG]

Wow! Sound like I definitely have to try chilli. Seems to be a lot like bolognaise sauce. Or is that completely off?

They're very similar. Of course, people generally don't put cream in chili (even if it would be quite tasty).

 

[turbo]

I have stuffed potato skins with hot chili and topped with sour cream. It's very good.

 

[scorpa]

I had the best lunch the other day, stuffed red peppers and some sort of amazing salad!

I am kind of hoping someone has had this salad before and knows a recipe. All I know it is had some sort of lettuce in it and was topped with a mixture of black beans, chickpeas, tomatoes and maybe some other things I don't remember. So far it is easy enough and doesn't need a recipe of course but I have no idea what kind of dressing was used in it, so if anyone thinks this salad sounds familar and knows what they put in that dressing that would be awesome!

 

[lisab]

I've always thought that Thousand Island dressing was really good on beans. A bit sweet, but good.

Mmmm, that sounds really good right now!

 

[Moonbear]

Don't know about the salad...might have been something as simple as a vinaigrette. That always goes well on bean salads.

I was able to rescue my sausage mishap! I made gumbo tonight. Didn't add any salt, pepper or garlic, just seasoned with a bay leaf, a little extra thyme, and more cayenne pepper (I ordered some from a sausage-making supplier that sells their ground peppers ranked by scoville units, so you know exactly how hot it is...got the 50K one)...the sausage had cayenne pepper in it but it's the only thing that wasn't overdone. That's what I needed to do with it. Once it had a time for all that seasoning to work it's way out and flavor the entire gumbo rather than just the sausage, it's very tasty. Yay!

 

[turbo]

I had the best lunch the other day, stuffed red peppers and some sort of amazing salad!

I am kind of hoping someone has had this salad before and knows a recipe. All I know it is had some sort of lettuce in it and was topped with a mixture of black beans, chickpeas, tomatoes and maybe some other things I don't remember. So far it is easy enough and doesn't need a recipe of course but I have no idea what kind of dressing was used in it, so if anyone thinks this salad sounds familar and knows what they put in that dressing that would be awesome!

My wife makes a Mediterranean salad that sounds vaguely like that. For dressing, she uses Farm Boy Greek Salad Dressing. It is very low in fat and calories and she loves it. The store she bought it at stopped carrying it, so tonight on the way home, she went to another branch store of that chain and bought all 10 jars that they had. At $3.50/jar it's pretty pricey, but she's hooked on the stuff, and it's so loaded with spices that she only uses about a tbsp of it on a salad.

 

[turbo]

My wife and I just finished supper. I grilled cheeseburgers with toasted rolls out on the grill and dressed them with yellow mustard, my home-made green-tomato salsa, and my home-made dill-pickled jalapeno rings. Wow! What a combo.

I pickled a lot of jalapenos last summer because we had a bumper crop that outlasted the tomatoes (for salsa) and I figured I'd already made enough chili relish. I'll have to pickle some more jalapenos this year so we don't run out. I've been using pickled jalapeno rings on hot dogs, along with habanero relish and mustard - they add a wonderful flavor.

 

[Evo]

I had the best lunch the other day, stuffed red peppers and some sort of amazing salad!

I am kind of hoping someone has had this salad before and knows a recipe. All I know it is had some sort of lettuce in it and was topped with a mixture of black beans, chickpeas, tomatoes and maybe some other things I don't remember. So far it is easy enough and doesn't need a recipe of course but I have no idea what kind of dressing was used in it, so if anyone thinks this salad sounds familar and knows what they put in that dressing that would be awesome!

Scorpa, was it at a restaurant? We may be able to find the recipe on the internet if it's a chain or famous.

 

[Andre]

A nice salad is a variation on Carpacio, which is basically raw beef, sliced paper thin

Serve a few slices with lettuce, olives, capers, sunflower and pine kernels, furthermore ample sun dried tomates, welled with sweetened vinegar.

had that at dining club years ago and it was more than worthwhile to remember the recipe and compose it every once and a while.

 

[turbo]

Don't know about the salad...might have been something as simple as a vinaigrette. That always goes well on bean salads.

I was able to rescue my sausage mishap! I made gumbo tonight. Didn't add any salt, pepper or garlic, just seasoned with a bay leaf, a little extra thyme, and more cayenne pepper (I ordered some from a sausage-making supplier that sells their ground peppers ranked by scoville units, so you know exactly how hot it is...got the 50K one)...the sausage had cayenne pepper in it but it's the only thing that wasn't overdone. That's what I needed to do with it. Once it had a time for all that seasoning to work it's way out and flavor the entire gumbo rather than just the sausage, it's very tasty. Yay!

Congratulations, Moonie! Heavy dilution is about the only way out of a salt/spice mishap. Sometimes some pretty good dishes can result, though.

We have a good local butcher shop that generally has good ground pork sausage (for breakfast patties) but after getting a couple of inconsistently-seasoned packages, I've opted to start with ground pork and season it myself. This is especially important with large dishes when you want pork with typical sausage seasonings, but would rather omit one or two of the spices.

 

[Astronuc]

http://www.chezsophie.com/breakfast.htm

http://www.chezsophie.com/lunch.htm

http://www.chezsophie.com/dinner.htm

 

[scorpa]

Scorpa, was it at a restaurant? We may be able to find the recipe on the internet if it's a chain or famous.

Ha oddly enough it was at the hospital cafeteria, I was shocked at how good it was. Obviously it was no where near homemade quality but I know if I could figure out the dressing I could make a homemade version that would be a million times better.

 

[chaoseverlasting]

For all the women who've gone through pregnancy, do you guys really have hunger pangs? If so, what kind of food do you guys go for?