Chilli And Pasta
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There are huge differences from region to region. As for recipes, there are a number of chili recipe books available, though I make mine differently depending on what kind of heat or flavor I'm in the mood to enjoy. Chimayo chili is one of several growing regions in New Mexico, along with Hatch, Nambé, and several others. The chilis have distinctive differences and provide subtle variations. Southwestern style is pretty basic, meat, chili, onions and water with a little masa for thickening. Some add a bit of cumin and/or oregano. No beans or other vegetation. The quality and blend of the chili used carries the load.
I've always had beans in chili, but can see where it's not necessarily needed as far as flavour. Atlantic Canada may not be the "hot bed" for chilli that you might think :rofl:
Yeh, whoever heard of Mexicans or Southwesterners eating beans? But, I don't think I've ever had corn in chili. I have had a really good one made with avocado when in Tucson. In fact, I had chili all over Tucson, as we used to go there every year for the gem shows, but I don't think I've ever had chili with just meat and chilis. I would love to try that though, but it does sound like a monochromatic texture. Do you eat it with chips or... wait, we make that here, but we call that taco meat :rofl:
The first time I went into a Skyline was when I was in college and was in Cincinnati to catch a Red's game. OMG. Also another chain or two as I recall featuring "Greek" chili and spaghetti.
I've had Greek Chili. It had a dash of cinnamon in it, which gave it a hint of fruitiness. Good stuff, especially with some pepperoncinis, a few slices of radish, and some feta.
I'm glad I began this thread. I'm getting some good ideas for ingredients. BTW, just like my spaghetti sauce, I always add red wine to my chilli.
Well, if I may be so bold, I will share my own Black Stag Chili recipe. My family loves it, and I usually have all of the kid's friends over when I make it. I am not a measuring kind of guy, but I will approximate the measurements.
I will always use ground venison if I have had a good hunting season. But, if you have ground elk or lamb it works just the same with only a slight variation in flavor.
Brown 1lbs of venison, elk, or lamb, drain and set aside.
2 pots.
Warm 2tbl spoons of cumin in a fresh pot. And, then drain and cook two cups of black beans (turtle beans) in the put with the cumin in one cup of water, stirring occasionally. But, don't let them get too soft. Set aside. Fresh water is essential, as the water it was rehydt=rated in (or canned in) is full of the black coloring from the bean starch.
De-seed and rehydrate three dried poblano peppers in a cup of boiled water for three minutes. Then add peppers to a blender.
Do the same to four smoked jalapenos (or chipotles same thing) in the same water as the poblanos, and add peppers and water to the blender
And, add half a cup of sundried tomatoes to the blender
and pulse till it is a sauce.
In the other pot, brown 1 large sweet onion (Vidalia or yellow). This will caramelize the sugars in the onion.
Then add one jar or can of stewed tomatoes. Simmer the onions and tomatoes for an hour or so. This will sweeten the tomatoes and make it a deeper flavor, more robust.
then add...
The pepper sauce from the blender
one diced and seeded anchos (unsmoked poblanos)
and the browned meat.
Simmer this for about half an hour or longer.
Then add the black beans and the cumin mix last, so as not to turn the whole thing black too soon. If the chili is looking thin in the pot, you can strain a little of the water from the beans first.
Cook this till all is boiling, but you don't want to cook it till the beans make the whole pot black. You want them to stand out as a contrast. Plus, overcooking the beans makes the texture too consistent. I like for the beans to contrast with the rest of the chili.
I serve this over Fritos, with a dash of salt and shreaded sharp cheddar and a scoop of sour cream and a fresh pepper of choice (I like fresh Serrano peppers on top for an added zing).
But, adding some wine to this sounds like a great idea.
I think I may have posted this before, but I am not sure if I added details.
The layers of tomatoes dried and canned make for a deeper flavor, and the onion adds sweetness. The venison (or elk or lamb) adds a mustiness that everyone seems to like. Using poblanos, anchos and chipotles adds a smokiness balanced with a sweetness. It's like a fine balkan blend where it all comes together to make new flavors altogether with a slight hint of incensey goodness in there.
Bon Apatite. :
:
I will always use ground venison if I have had a good hunting season. But, if you have ground elk or lamb it works just the same with only a slight variation in flavor.
Brown 1lbs of venison, elk, or lamb, drain and set aside.
2 pots.
Warm 2tbl spoons of cumin in a fresh pot. And, then drain and cook two cups of black beans (turtle beans) in the put with the cumin in one cup of water, stirring occasionally. But, don't let them get too soft. Set aside. Fresh water is essential, as the water it was rehydt=rated in (or canned in) is full of the black coloring from the bean starch.
De-seed and rehydrate three dried poblano peppers in a cup of boiled water for three minutes. Then add peppers to a blender.
Do the same to four smoked jalapenos (or chipotles same thing) in the same water as the poblanos, and add peppers and water to the blender
And, add half a cup of sundried tomatoes to the blender
and pulse till it is a sauce.
In the other pot, brown 1 large sweet onion (Vidalia or yellow). This will caramelize the sugars in the onion.
Then add one jar or can of stewed tomatoes. Simmer the onions and tomatoes for an hour or so. This will sweeten the tomatoes and make it a deeper flavor, more robust.
then add...
The pepper sauce from the blender
one diced and seeded anchos (unsmoked poblanos)
and the browned meat.
Simmer this for about half an hour or longer.
Then add the black beans and the cumin mix last, so as not to turn the whole thing black too soon. If the chili is looking thin in the pot, you can strain a little of the water from the beans first.
Cook this till all is boiling, but you don't want to cook it till the beans make the whole pot black. You want them to stand out as a contrast. Plus, overcooking the beans makes the texture too consistent. I like for the beans to contrast with the rest of the chili.
I serve this over Fritos, with a dash of salt and shreaded sharp cheddar and a scoop of sour cream and a fresh pepper of choice (I like fresh Serrano peppers on top for an added zing).
But, adding some wine to this sounds like a great idea.
I think I may have posted this before, but I am not sure if I added details.
The layers of tomatoes dried and canned make for a deeper flavor, and the onion adds sweetness. The venison (or elk or lamb) adds a mustiness that everyone seems to like. Using poblanos, anchos and chipotles adds a smokiness balanced with a sweetness. It's like a fine balkan blend where it all comes together to make new flavors altogether with a slight hint of incensey goodness in there.
Bon Apatite. :
:A secret to Cincinnati Greek chili, I read many years ago, way before the internet, is the addition of a little Hershey's chocolate.
M
mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast
Guest
I eat Skyline regularly. It is a restaurant founded by a Greek gentleman, but the style is most commonly known around my parts as Cincinnati style chili. The magic ingredients will never be disclosed, but I have heard cinnamon. I think there's some garam masala too, but who knows? It's not a style for everyone, but I enjoy it. A three-way is spaghetti, chili, and finely grated cheese. A four-way gives the option of adding either diced white onion or beans, and the five-way is the works; spaghetti, chili, cheese, onions, and beans. The cheese gets stacked high and their hot sauce is really good. Although, last week the location next to my house gave me some generic hot sauce and told me they didn't know if they would be getting any actual Skyline hot sauce back. A major blow if it's true. Their primary competitor is Gold Star.
Frank, you're plate of chili and pasta more resembles a plate of ziti in a tomato meat sauce in my book. A different thing for me, but a favorite of mine as well. Meat sauces and pasta go well together in any combination and by any definition.
Frank, you're plate of chili and pasta more resembles a plate of ziti in a tomato meat sauce in my book. A different thing for me, but a favorite of mine as well. Meat sauces and pasta go well together in any combination and by any definition.
Oh, they'll eat beans, but then they call it chili beans. The original chili that was developed for cattle drives didn't use beans, just the ingredients I've mentioned. And it resembles taco meat about as much as you resemble Heidi Klum. :mrgreen:
Award winning recipes include all sorts of added ingredients like chocolate, cinnamon, beer, etc. And I've made chili dozens of different ways. But the most critical ingredient remains the chilies.
Cool Jesse, I would love to try some. I am a pepper fan. About half the garden is different types of pepper. I may have to find a recipe online to make sure I grow the right ones. Do you have a favorite that you could share, or at least point me to?
I’m not often confused confused for Heidi Klum, but since joining the gym my legs are looking pretty good. Ha ha
I’m not often confused confused for Heidi Klum, but since joining the gym my legs are looking pretty good. Ha ha
Hi Michael,
The flavors of the chili vary according to the growing region, so turning out a New Mexican style chili requires using chilies grown in New Mexico. These days I'm really liking Chimayo chilies, which is why I gave the link to the Potrero Trading Post. They buy their powders from local growers and these are really good. I especially like their sun dried chili powders as they have a richer flavor than those created through other means. I mostly use their mild and medium powders, and occasionally a bit of the hot. The flavors differ between the various levels of heat, so it's not just heat. You may find the flavors of this kind of chili a bit simple compared to what you're used to doing, but with this kind of stew, the flavor of the chili is more prominent.
For health reasons I've been obliged to give up red meat (though I occasionally cheat once or twice a year) so I've been using either turkey or chicken instead of beef, pork, or venison. As far as texture is concerned, I don't grind the meat. I cube cut it. With the red meats I'd cube into 1/2" cubes. With turkey or chicken it's closer to 1".
I brown the meat in a pot, using a little extra virgin olive oil at the start and then use the juices for the succeeding batches that I brown in the pot. I should mention that I make chili in large amounts, 10 to 20 lbs of meat, and freeze what I'm not using.
In a skillet I simmer diced onions, and occasionally fine diced garlic, until soft. I combine the meat and veggies in the stew pot and cover with water, or chicken broth. Sometimes I add in a tin or two of ortega diced green chili if I don't have some in the freezer. I add a mixture of Chimayo powders, about twice as much of the mild as the medium and some oregano. With this much meat I start with 6 heaping tablespoons of the mild and about 2 of the medium. Once I've brought the pot to a boil, I reduce the heat so that it's simmering, for about 2 hours. I'll taste the liquor and adjust seasonings, sometimes adding a little bit of kosher salt, or a tablespoon or so of brown sugar or a bit more chili. I used to use cumin, but lately I haven't felt the need. Then I turn off the heat and let it rest for an hour before bringing it again to a boil, then simmer with the top of the pot ajar so that the liquid reduces, stirring so that nothing burns at the bottom. Then I let it cool down and refrigerate overnight. As it cools, the spices thoroughly permeate the meat so when I heat it the following day, the spices have melded with the meat.
The following day I warm it up and it's ready to serve. It's pretty basic, but every time I whip up a batch for a party it gets wiped out very quickly. I've had a lot of people ask for the recipe. There being no recipe, I just tell them what ingredients I use and suggest that they experiment to see what they like. You don't have to go through the overnight cool down, but I like how it tastes much better than if I just make it and serve it immediately.
The flavors of the chili vary according to the growing region, so turning out a New Mexican style chili requires using chilies grown in New Mexico. These days I'm really liking Chimayo chilies, which is why I gave the link to the Potrero Trading Post. They buy their powders from local growers and these are really good. I especially like their sun dried chili powders as they have a richer flavor than those created through other means. I mostly use their mild and medium powders, and occasionally a bit of the hot. The flavors differ between the various levels of heat, so it's not just heat. You may find the flavors of this kind of chili a bit simple compared to what you're used to doing, but with this kind of stew, the flavor of the chili is more prominent.
For health reasons I've been obliged to give up red meat (though I occasionally cheat once or twice a year) so I've been using either turkey or chicken instead of beef, pork, or venison. As far as texture is concerned, I don't grind the meat. I cube cut it. With the red meats I'd cube into 1/2" cubes. With turkey or chicken it's closer to 1".
I brown the meat in a pot, using a little extra virgin olive oil at the start and then use the juices for the succeeding batches that I brown in the pot. I should mention that I make chili in large amounts, 10 to 20 lbs of meat, and freeze what I'm not using.
In a skillet I simmer diced onions, and occasionally fine diced garlic, until soft. I combine the meat and veggies in the stew pot and cover with water, or chicken broth. Sometimes I add in a tin or two of ortega diced green chili if I don't have some in the freezer. I add a mixture of Chimayo powders, about twice as much of the mild as the medium and some oregano. With this much meat I start with 6 heaping tablespoons of the mild and about 2 of the medium. Once I've brought the pot to a boil, I reduce the heat so that it's simmering, for about 2 hours. I'll taste the liquor and adjust seasonings, sometimes adding a little bit of kosher salt, or a tablespoon or so of brown sugar or a bit more chili. I used to use cumin, but lately I haven't felt the need. Then I turn off the heat and let it rest for an hour before bringing it again to a boil, then simmer with the top of the pot ajar so that the liquid reduces, stirring so that nothing burns at the bottom. Then I let it cool down and refrigerate overnight. As it cools, the spices thoroughly permeate the meat so when I heat it the following day, the spices have melded with the meat.
The following day I warm it up and it's ready to serve. It's pretty basic, but every time I whip up a batch for a party it gets wiped out very quickly. I've had a lot of people ask for the recipe. There being no recipe, I just tell them what ingredients I use and suggest that they experiment to see what they like. You don't have to go through the overnight cool down, but I like how it tastes much better than if I just make it and serve it immediately.
I really appreciate it, Jesse. I’m printing this out to try as soon as I can get the spices. Sounds deliscous.
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