So, I have, on hand, canned tomatos, tomato sauce, paste, etc., fresh garlic, onions, potatos, wheat bread, several pounds of frozen hamburger meat, hot dogs, spaghetti, mac-n-cheese (in boxes), and various other random stuff in the kitchen, and it’s my turn to cook dinner.
Normally I’d default to spaghetti, but, well, we’ve had it three times in the last two weeks, and I figure I should give that a break for a while.
I was thinking of making chili, but I really don’t know how to make it. The big thing for me is I have no idea how much chili powder to use, nor how long the two-thirds-empty jar of the stuff has been sitting in my mom’s pantry (or if that makes a difference with dried spices)
Any suggestions? Or at least advice on making chili?
Heh, while probably true (my dad bemoans the fact that I don’t have dinner ready at 5PM, when I’m usually not used to starting it until 8PM), I’m actually planning tommorow’s dinner, since tonight’s dinner was defaulted to Mac-n-cheese cause I couldn’t figure out what to make.
Well, there’s a chili debate that has raged on these boards a few times in the past, but in my opinion chili is whatever you want it to be. Whatever you want to put in it is fine, I’d probably use all the tomato stuff, the hamburger meat (I’d actually use chicken or turkey because I don’t eat cow), onions, garlic. I’d also add some beans* (pinto, kidney, black or even white beans), green peppers and celery*.
As for your chili powder, as long as it doesn’t have bugs or fungus growing in it, it’s probably okay - maybe just a little less potent. Don’t overseason too early in the dish because it’s likely to get spicier as you cook it down a little.
*putting beans and celery in chili is fighting words to some but I stand by my “chili is whatever you want it to be” theory.
Hmm…I don’t think 2/3 of a bottle of old chili powder will do it, frankly. Unless you’re cooking for two. For a pot of chili, I sometimes use upwards of a cup of chili powder before all is said and done.
How about good ol’ meatloaf? I know, I know, you think meatloaf is nasty or boring. You ain’t tried my TV boyfriend’s meat loaf. Yeah, yeah, he calls for fancy meats. Fuhgettabout it. It’s fine with ground beef.
Aternatively, there’s cottage pie. It’s like Shepherd’s Pie, but with beef instead of lamb. I know, that recipe calls it “Shepherd” and calls for beef. It’s a mistake. (Otherwise it’d be “Cowboy pie”, but that just sounds gross.) I really like this recipe, but I add a bag of frozen veggies around Step 8 and cook until heated through.
How about cottage pie? Make mashed potatoes. Brown the meat with the garlic and plenty of onion. Add a litte tomato paste…just a very little bit but I find it perks it up. Add Worcestshire sauce. Add the more traditional seasoning for cottage pie; parsley, sage, rosemary, tyme (no singing now) salt and pepper. Mix a bit of the mashed potatoes into the meat…something else that’s not traditional but I like it that way. Put the meat in a cassorole dish and put the mashed potatoes on top. Bake in the oven till the potatoes are nicely browned.
It’s the ultimate comfort food. The trick is to get the spices right…not spicey (by any means) but doesn’t have to be bland. Savory.
Actually, I found a big jar of the stuff in the back, no idea how old it is, of course. The thing is, I dunno how spicy a cup of chili powder will make this, since my family doesn’t exactly share my love of spicy food (my mom made a beef/veggie soup dish of some sort the other day, and while everyone else (mom included) thought it was so hot as to be barely tolerable, I could barely taste it and was adding pepper for flavor. (The next day, the dish was nice and spicy, so maybe it just needed time to ferment or something).
I figure it’s better to under-spicy the chili than it is to over-spicy it, since we have a variety of hot sauces (note to self: Buy tobasco sauce) that can be added if needed. Of course, if it gets over-spicy-ed, they can always cook hotdogs and I’ll have lunch for a month.
Listen, don’t try this now, you need to experiment a little first…
But, I used to think that all chili powder was pretty much the same, and it probably is, but our family loves the brand Mexene…I think I spelled it right. It doe, to us, give a much better flavor to the chili. YMMV.
Other thing is, for one can of tomato sauce/paste, use a can of Campbell’s tomato soup, with about 1/3 can of water with a tablespoon of sour cream whipped into it. I know this sounds weird, but it really adds to the wonderfullness of it all.
ok, first, you can’t call it chili if it has been in a chili pot for less than five hours.
secondly, any self-respecting chili will contain no less than three different types of beans; in roughly equal proportions by pre-cooked weight.
thirdly, the proportion of meat (likely beef – else lamb, turkey, or if hunting season provides, moose, venison, etc…) to vegetable (including tomato, onion, bell pepper & various seasonings) should not be less than 1:2, nor more than 1:3, by weight.
Yes, I also can’t tell you how hot it will be, since I don’t know how hot is was when new, how long it’s been stored under what conditions, etc. But we can work with it.
Have you ever made a basic meat sauce for spaghetti? Chili is the same thing, minus the basil, plus chili powder and cumin and beans (if you like beans.)
Cut up an onion and cook it in a pan over medium heat with a pound of ground beef. Throw in some chopped garlic when your onion looks almost translucent. How much? Two or three cloves. More if you like garlic. If you want to add green peppers or celery or anything fancy, do it now. Add a couple of cans of diced tomato, and if you have it, a can of diced chilli peppers. If you want beans, throw in a can or two (stir it up and see if it looks right - you’ll lose some water as it cooks, but see if the meat/bean ratio looks like you like it.) or a couple of handfuls of dried, rinsed beans. Good bean varieties, as mentioned, are kidney (classic midwestern chili bean), pinto, black bean (the most nutritious), white beans, pink beans. Heck, I’ve even used garbanzos in a pinch (don’t tell anyone from Texas, mmmm’kay?). Now throw in about a Tablespoon of dried oregano, a Tablespoon of chili powder and a Tablespoon of cumin. Get it bubbling, then turn the heat down real low, and let it simmer for an hour before you taste it. Now, taste it. What’s it lacking? Probably salt, so add some. If it’s just bland as all get out, add more chili powder. If it’s needs more “undertone”, an almost musky deep heat, then add more cumin. Let it simmer a while longer to let the heat come out of your dried spices. Taste again.
I’ve made chili in less than five hours, but it takes at least two. It’s always better the next day, though, as the flavors throw a little party in your fridge and get to know each other better.
Serve with chopped onion, shredded cheese, sour cream and oyster crackers, if you got 'em. Freeze any leftovers, and your next cooking night can be Chili-Mac. Just boil a pound of elbow macaroni and serve the leftovers over it.