Steak Salad
April Showers Bring May Flowers
It is a rainy cold weekend in April, typical of Western Washington, but there is a light at the end of this long tunnel we call winter here where we live. I see 76 degrees in the forecast. Whooohooo!! That also means it is time to get the yard in shape. What do we want to do this year? What do we want to plant? What do I need to change? Time to start the planning. We will get to all of that, but first, what are we cooking tonight?
Chili & Cornbread
There is this huge debate about chili. Damn near a fight about what is right, and what is wrong. A debate as serious as… OK, maybe it isn’t that intense. Let us be realistic - it is about beans. Beans or no beans. Personally I don’t understand the argument. I am probably going to offend some people with this one, or not. I don’t remember how many friends that I have that are from Texas. I, however, grew up in an area of the USA where we put beans in our chili. That’s how my Grandma did it, it is how my Mom did it, and so that is how I do it. Must have beans! On the other hand, come to think of it, there was this chili that went over our hotdogs when we went to Tony Paco’s in Toledo, Ohio. I need to do a blog about that place. Pickles and peppers, oh my… but I digress. The chili at Tony Paco's didn’t have beans in it. Huh, maybe our worlds are not that far apart. If only our divisions could just be about beans or no beans. The world would be a better place. I could have a serious discussion about the building blocks of chili. Probably wouldn’t be any fighting though. Might be a little boring. I could live with boring, just not in the flavor area. Flavorless chili - beans or no beans - is going to suck. Those are fighting words! Flavor packed chili heard!When I was growing up, chili was one of those dinners that was relatively easy to put together. Our home had two teenage boys with veracious appetites and a mother with no time on her hands. We were always looking for a quick dish that would feed us for a couple of days. Nothing like a satisfied teenager. For this example I will tone it down to a reasonable size.
There are so many chili recipes out there. Google chili recipe and you will find a minimum of 50 on the first page. Hell, in the Joy of Cooking there are 4 completely different recipes. Taking a look at these recipes, there are things I like about each one of them and there are things that I think just don’t work in each of them as well. Good thing I know how to break the rules, or is it that I make up my own rules? Enough of that, on to the recipe that I put together.
Flavorless chili - beans or no beans - is going to suck.
Best Chili Recipe
Ingredients
~1 lb. ground beef~1/2 pound bacon diced
~1 medium sweet onion small dice
~10 ea garlic cloves sliced
~3 tablespoons ancho chili powder
~2 teaspoons garlic powder
~2 teaspoons cumin seed
~1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
~1/2 teaspoons salt
~1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
~3 tablespoons tomato paste
~2 tablespoons cider vinegar
~1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
~1 15-oz. can pinto beans drained and rinsed
~1 15-oz. can kidney beans drained and rinsed
~2 15-oz. can crushed tomatoes
~1 cup chicken stock
Directions
First, heat a large stockpot over medium/high heat.Render the diced bacon till crisp. Pull off and drain fat. Then, add ground beef, brown with a tbs of the bacon fat. Add the bacon back to the beef and start to crisp both in the fat. Add the onion, and minced garlic and sauté for 7-10 minutes. Add spices and bloom for about 2 minutes, then add tomato paste. Cook for another 5 minutes then deglaze with cider vinegar and Worchestershire sauce. Next, add pinto beans, kidney beans, crushed tomato sauce, diced tomatoes to the pot and stir to combine. Add the chicken stock, stir to combine.
Bring beef chili to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer.
Now that we have our chili, let’s look at the perfect pairing - the cornbread. I have no judgement on the cornbread you use. I have a childhood fondness for Jiffy’s, but I also like the texture of cornbread made with stone ground cornmeal. My wife brought up a great point while we were eating this meal; cornbread needs butter and honey no matter what kind you use.
Cornbread
Ingredients
~1 tablespoon bacon fat (you can steal it from rendering the bacon above. It won’t miss it)Whisk together in a large bowl
~1 3/4 cup stone ground cornmeal
~1 cup AP flour
~2 tablespoon sugar
~1 teaspoon baking powder
~1 teaspoon baking soda
~1 teaspoon salt
Whisk until foamy
~2 eggs
Whisk together with the eggs
~2 cups buttermilk
Directions
Add wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until blended. This will be pretty loose. That is ok. Put the bacon fat in a cast iron skillet or the pan of your choice. Just make sure that it is oven proof. No plastic, it will end badly. Put into the oven at 450 degrees. When the fat starts to smoke add the mixture. Bake until the top is browned and sounds hollow when you tap it. About 25 minutes. Let cool for about 20 minutes.
If you must...
Honey Butter
Ingredients
~1 lb butter
~2 tbs honey
~1 tsp kosher salt
Directions
Soften butter then mix all, or put all the ingredients in a Cuisinart and pulse till it comes together and is smooth.
The Best Debate
Honey Butter
Ingredients
~1 lb butter~2 tbs honey
~1 tsp kosher salt
Directions
Soften butter then mix all, or put all the ingredients in a Cuisinart and pulse till it comes together and is smooth.The Best Debate
There you go. We have solved the world's problems with chili. I feel so much better. So the next time you feel a horrible conversation coming on that involves politics, just bring up chili. Beans, or no beans. I should have been a politician. MTG and Bernie wouldn’t have stood a chance.
Enjoy.
