Ward off Winter's Chill - Make a Pot of Chili!

February is the perfect month for chili.  Since the weather is still cold and the days are still relatively short, chili is a wonderful way to “warm up” on a cool winter evening. Food Snob has found that chili recipes abound during February – for one thing, chili is usually a staple at Super Bowl parties – along with the buffalo hot wings and brownies! 

Chili is a very personal thing.  Like chocolate or brownies, most people are passionate about what makes for a good chili – and there are as many opinions on the essential ingredients are there are people.  Do you like your chili hot and spicy or do you prefer yours on the mild side?  Do you like pork in your chili, or do you prefer to stick to beef?  How about turkey or bison?  Do you add cheese, raw onions, and sour cream to your chili, or do you prefer it “straight?” 

However you like your chili, it is a delicious and healthy dish that Food Snob particularly approves of for these reasons:  (1) the meat protein is “stretched” by the addition of lots of vegetables (Food Snob’s recipe includes onions, garlic, celery, orange or yellow peppers, tomatoes, and jalapeno); (2) beans add protein and healthy fiber; (3) the dish is delicious when reheated for lunch or dinner a few days later (say “YES” to leftovers!); and (4) the “heat” ingredients can be adjusted to fit your taste or the taste of your family members.

Many people don’t make chili often because most recipes typically take quite a bit of time to get to the table– not so much on the preparation end, but on the simmering end.  Food Snob agrees that her chili tastes best if it is simmered for about 30 minutes to an hour after all the ingredients have been added.  However, the chili is still delicious when eaten as soon as the vegetables are tender – which is about 45 minutes after starting to prepare this dish.  If she is in a hurry, Food Snob serves the chili right away, and lets the leftovers simmer slowly, covered in the pot while eating dinner.  Allow the leftovers to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate or freeze for another meal or to eat for lunch during the week.  The chili will taste even better a few days later – Food Snob promises!

Food Snob created the chili recipe that follows about two weeks ago for the Super Bowl.  The flavor is fantastic – and the heat comes from three sources:  a small amount (1/4 pound) of chorizo; a jalapeno; and ground red chile from Chimayo, New Mexico.  Food Snob makes a trip to New Mexico every year just to purchase ground red chile grown near the little town of Chimayo, but you can find good ground red chile in the Mexican section of your supermarket. The important thing to remember is to NEVER use chili powder.  Purchased chili powder from the spice aisle contains no flavor and not much heat.  Your chili will be much improved if you buy real ground red chile and use that instead.  To adjust the ingredients in this recipe to your heat tolerance, try the following:  use hot chorizo if you like spicy chili; use regular chorizo if you prefer milder chili.  Before adding the jalapeno, cut off a small sliver and taste it.  If it is burning hot, and you don’t want your chili to be too spicy, use only a quarter or half of the jalapeno.  If you like your chili hot, use the whole jalapeno.  TASTE the chili before adding the ground red chile.  Add the red chile, a teaspoon or half teaspoon at a time, and taste after each addition.  You can always add more chile if you want more spice, but once you add too much, you can’t go backwards!  Tasting as you go is the key.

You can make this chili with your choice of organic grass-fed ground beef, ground bison, or organic/natural ground turkey. Try to find at least 90 percent lean ground meat or turkey if you can. You can choose pork chorizo, chicken chorizo, or turkey chorizo – but whatever type you purchase, try to find good quality natural or organic chorizo.  Food Snob’s recipe will ask you to drain the ground meat and chorizo in a colander once it has been browned, and rinse it with hot water before returning it to the cooking pan.  This technique helps to remove extra fat from the chili.

Quick and Hearty Chili – makes 8 servings

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium high heat.  Spray the bottom of the pot lightly with cooking spray. Add to the pot:

1 pound 90% lean ground organic beef, bison, or turkey

¼ quarter pound chorizo sausage (pork, chicken, or turkey)

Use a wooden fork or spoon to crumble the meat. Adjust the heat as needed so the meat browns evenly but does not burn.  When all of the meat is evenly browned, set a colander in your sink and transfer the browned meat to the colander.  Rinse the meat with very hot water to wash away any residual fat.  Set the colander on a plate to drain.  Rinse the pot to wash away any fat; wipe with a paper towel. 

Return the pot to the stove and reduce the heat to medium low.  Add a small amount of:

canola oil (one to two teaspoons) – just enough to coat the bottom of the pot

Then add to the pot:

1 large onion, diced

1 large yellow or orange pepper, diced in ½ inch pieces

2 or 3 stalks of celery, diced

½ or 1 jalapeno, finely diced (depending on heat preference)

Stir the vegetables and “sweat” them by covering with a piece of parchment paper cut to the circumference of the pot.  To learn more about how to “sweat” vegetables, see Food Snob’s blog posting from January 5, 2012: Learn to Sweat Your Vegetables.  Stir the vegetables occasionally and, once the vegetables have softened (about 5 to 10 minutes), remove the parchment paper and add to the pot:

2 Tablespoons chopped garlic

Stir vegetable mixture and allow garlic to cook about one minute.  Then add the ground meat from the colander back to the vegetables in the pot and stir to mix.  Add immediately:

1 cup low fat, low sodium beef or chicken broth

3 cans (14.5 to 16 ounces) no salt, organic diced tomatoes

3 cans (14.5 to 16 ounces) black beans, no salt added

½ can tomato paste

1 Tablespoon leaf oregano, dried

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 to 2 Tablespoons ground red chile (or less, depending on desired heat)

1 Tablespoon organic agave nectar or honey

2½ teaspoons kosher salt

2 to 4 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

Allow mixture to come to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.  Cook a few minutes until vegetables are tender.  Add:

1 Tablespoon sherry or red wine vinegar

DO NOT skip this ingredient!  Taste chili – add more salt if necessary and if you would like the chili hotter, add more ground red chile.  Ladle chili into bowls; serve with desired accompaniments.  Food Snob prefers her chili “straight.” 

Allow the remaining chili to simmer about 30 more minutes, covered, over very low heat.  Cool to room temperature and refrigerate or freeze.

Next week – don’t miss Food Snob’s upcoming series featuring four fabulous fish recipes – the perfect antidote to Denver's 5280 Restaurant Week.  If you haven’t made your reservations for Restaurant Week, which starts Saturday February 23^rd and continues through Friday, March 8th, don’t delay.  Enjoy a three-course meal at participating restaurants (of which there are many) for $26.40 for one person or $52.80 for two.  Then eat healthy the rest of the week by trying one of Food Snob’s favorite fish recipes. Fish is the ideal option when you want to serve fresh, fabulous, heart-healthy food for dinner in a hurry!