- November 23, 2024
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Chili is often thought of as a “man’s dish.” It falls into the category of hot wings, burgers, meatloaf and anything cooked on the grilled, which men often claim as their territory.
It’s one of those dishes that can be altered to be super spicy, sweet or can even be cooked with beer. Because of its blank-slate style, I would say that chili is a culinary dish for a novice, because it’s rather hard to mess up.
But competition chili cooks would argue with me that it takes skill, knowledge of spices and the total culinary chemist package to produce an award-winning chili.
Flagler County residents will have the chance to show off their chili cooking skills Nov. 2, at the Flagler Beach First Friday Chili Cook-off.
The official cook-off rules state: “Chili cannot be defined. Whatever you call chili, we will call chili. Chili may or may not contain meat. Chili may or may not contain beans. Chili may be red, white or any other color.”
While I agree with most of that statement, I do believe that a good stick-to-your-bones chili should contain a healthy portion of meat, and that is why the recipe I am sharing with you today is a mixture of lean ground beef and ground pork. It’s a simple recipe, not a lot of bells and whistles, but it will warm you up on a windy day.
My challenge to Flagler County residents is to not only prepare this dish, but to experiment with it as well. Make adjustments and make it your own. And if you are daring, enter the Flagler Beach Chili Cook-off, but do it soon: The deadline to enter is Oct. 29. Call 931-7111 or visit www.cityofflaglerbeach.com for the official rules and registration.
If cooking isn’t your thing, but eating is, then there is no need to fret. All cook-off entries will be able to be tasted at the Friday night event.
Traditional Chili
What you need:
1 large onion
1 green pepper
2-4 cloves garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 tablespoon chili powder
4 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red pepper sauce
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (15 to 16 ounces) red kidney beans, undrained
What to do:
Peel and chop the onion and pepper. Peel and finely chop the garlic. In a large saucepan, cook the beef, onion, pepper and garlic over medium heat 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked. This could take longer depending on your pan size.
Place a strainer or colander in the sink, pour the meat mixture into the strainer to drain. Return to saucepan; discard any juices in the bowl.
Into the beef, stir the chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper sauce and tomatoes with their liquid.
Heat the mixture to boiling over high heat. Once mixture is boiling, reduce heat just enough so mixture bubbles gently. Cover with lid; cook 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the beans with their liquid. Heat to boiling over high heat. Once mixture is boiling, reduce heat just enough so mixture bubbles gently.
Cook uncovered about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until desired thickness.
Do you have a recipe to share? Want to be a guest in Shanna's Kitchen? Email [email protected].
