Sandra's Kitchen Studio

Feisty Chili

Photograph Copyright Sandra A. Gutierrez, 2010; All Rights Reserved

When it comes to the subject of chili, controversy abounds. Whether to make it with beans of without them is only the beginning. However, when the weather gets feisty I come up to the challenge.

To me, chili--the American beef stew--is meant to awaken the senses and enliven the palate. Suffice it to say that this is not a Latin dish. In case you were wondering you will find it in southwestern states and around the United States, but it just does not exist south of the border. I just thought to mention this because I often get flooded with questions from students who wonder why I don't include recipes for this delicious concoction in my roster of classes on Latin cuisine. Chili is as American as apple pie--the national dish of Texas (and I do love Texas!). It might not be Latin but it is delicioso nonetheless.

Regardless, chili is one of the best comfort foods there is, in my humble opinion. Just what I need on the rare days when a winter storm hits the southern state where I live. Snow is not a common sight in North Carolina and for that I am grateful. However fun watching beautiful, fluffy flakes descend from on high can be, the reality of slippery roads and closed businesses is enough to take the romance out of the equation.

But as many of you know, I am happy any time I can get lost in my kitchen. And early this morning, had you treked down your snowy driveway and up mine, you would have found me preparing a stick-to-your-ribs meal to help keep us warm throughout this impending cold weather. In fact, had you bravely ventured out of your warm home and dropped by to visit on this very snowy morning, I would have also welcomed you with a cup of hot Guatemalan coffee and some chile-spiked brownies...but that will be a subject of another post.

So here is my version of chili. Hot, steamy, spicy, and fiery. Consider yourself warned: unless you are a chili head (as am I), do not attempt this recipe. It's smokey, it's seriously spicy, and definitely not for the faint of palate. I serve it with corn bread, warm from my oven but it is equally delicious with tortilla chips. It makes a great topping for towers of nachos and for baked potatoes. It's a great addition to your menu for that Super Bowl party you're planning.

Just make sure to have lots of sour cream on hand...

Now tell me, are you a chili head like I am? What interesting ingredients to you add to your bowl o' red?

Feisty Chili

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 lb. ground chuck

1/2 lb. bulk Mexican chorizo

2 1/2 cups chopped onion (Vidalia or sweet, preferred)

2 cups chopped celery

1 cup chopped bell pepper (any color)

1 large jalapeno slice paper thin (about 1/4 cup)*

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/4 cup chili powder

1 tablespoon ancho chile powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cups beef broth

3 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans

3 (14.5 ounce) cans fire-roasted tomatoes

Shredded cheddar cheese

Sour cream

Pickled jalapenos (if you are a glutton for punishment)

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add ground chuck and chorizo and cook, making sure to break the meats with a wooden spoon, until the beef is nicely browned. Add the onion, celery, beel pepper, and jalapeno; cook, stirring ocassionally for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chili powder, ancho chile powder, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt, and pepper and stir for 2 minutes. Add the beef broth and stir for 1 minute, making sure to scrape bottom of the pot well. Add the beans and tomatoes. Bring mixture to a boil; cover, lower the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Serve with garnishes.

Yield 8-10 servings.

Copyright Sandra A. Gutierrez, 2010; All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 
 

Cooking with the Season

Stews welcome Autumn by Sandra A. Gutierrez

The French make "ragouts", the Morroccans call them "tagines", and in Latin America they are known as "guisos". As the leaves begin to turn color and the crisp, cool air of autumn descends from the North, few things are as comforting as a bowl of hearty stew.

Simply put, to stew is to cook pieces of meat, poultry, fish, fowl or even vegetables, for a very long time and over very low heat. The stewing process typically begins with the browning of the meat in question, a crucial part of the process that ensures that the meat develops color and that the resulting gravy has depth of flavor. Browning is done to allow caramelization of the meat, which further allows for a "fond" to develop--those brown bits at the bottom of the pot--that will add punch to the finished sauce. Not all stews begin with browning as is the case with the French Blanquette de Veau, or Mexican Pipianes, where the meats are first boiled before being added to the stewing liquid. However most stews begin with the browning process.

Most stews will follow browning with a deglazing of the pan. This will usually begin with the addition of aromatics--mirepoix for the French, sofrito for the Latinos--before enough liquid to cover is added. This liquid can take the form of broths, wines, beer, juices or water. Sometimes before the liquid is added to the stew, spices are incorporated with the aromatics and are allowed to "bloom"  or develop their flavor as they come into contact with the heat.

The length of the cooking process is extremely important and care needs to be taken not to hurry it along. What happens inside the pot during the stewing process is short of magic. Tough cuts of meat may appear fully cooked during the first minutes of the cooking process; however they are not and if interrupted, an unfinished stew will yield rubbery, stringy meat. When allowed to cook longer, the connective tissues in the meat begin to relax, and an exchange of stewing juices is allowed to occur, as the meat releases its collagen. This entire process rewards the patient cook with fall-off-the-bone goodness.

Trapping the steam inside the pot as it stews is extremely important in order to ensure that little evaporation of the liquid is allowed and for this, a tight-fitting lid is required. In addition, I like to place a layer of parchment or waxed paper over the stewing pot before placing the lid on it.

The temperature at which a stew is cooked is also key in the success of a final dish, particularly if one wants it to be tender and delicate to the tooth. It must be given enough time to cook at a very low simmer--small bubbles--over very low heat that will permit the flavors to blend and will allow enough time to transcend before the stew is completed. The raising of the temperature in order to shorten the cooking time will always result in scorching the food at the bottom of the pan and the entire stew will be ruined. This counters our modern need for fast fixes; however a little patience will ultimately delight the gastronome's palate with succulence that cannot be obtained in a hurry. Sometimes good things are worth waiting for.

Stews are the perfect vehicle for cooking inexpensive, tougher cuts of meat, such as beef shoulder, ribs, pot roasts and chuck. Try stewing a blade of pork, veal shanks, chicken giblets or inexpensive cuts of lamb. If making a fish stew consider selecting those with firm flesh, such as monkfish, that will withstand the longer cooking process.

Autumn is the perfect season to introduce stews into your menu.  While your pot does all the work, go rake the leaves, carve pumpkins or play with the kids. A wonderful meal will await your return, rewarding you with rich, warm and comforting flavors of the season.

Copyright©Sandra A.Gutierrez,2007;All Rights Reserved.