I love chili. I really, really do. I like soup OK, and I love stew, but I’m too lazy to make it. No, when it comes to warm the spirit big old pots of something hot and delicious, it has to be chili. And it has to be spicy.
This week I made two pots of chili… I know… kind of overkill. But in my defense, there’s hardly any left at all!
The first one was a Beef and Bean Chili from epicurious, which I had to, as usual, pick apart and put together to my own liking. I swapped broth for beer (because why have broth when you can have beer?), swapped kidney beans for white beans (because… everyone together now… they don’t have them in France), and upped the heat factor. A lot. Like, 5 jalapeño peppers, my hands were burning for two days after, and plus I poked myself in the eye, but I don’t even care because this chili was so good, hot.
Hmm… my chili doesn’t appear to be very photogenic. I know what to do!
Add cilantro, creme fraiche, shredded cheese, and spring onions! Cuts the heat.
My friend and I ate most of this for dinner the night we made it, and then I finished off the rest the next day for lunch. No more! But then after she had gone, I was starting to feel lonely, and my tummy was grumbling for more chili. I wanted something completely different, so I went through my recipe list and found this: Chicken and Sweet Potato Chili.
The only thing I changed was to use orange sweet potatoes instead of white, and to go for the jalapeño option over the chipotle, so I won’t repost the recipe here. But oh, my, God. It was incredible. Not that I got to keep it for myself or anything. I had made the huge pot of chili, leaving the beans out to add when I got back from a wine and cheese party at my school so they wouldn’t get all mushy. But at the party, I met up with a friend, who I invited back to help me finish my cupcakes and muffins, and as we were sitting around, enjoying our beer, she invited a friend who was having a tough time finding an apartment. He said he would be there soon, but that he had to get some food, so of course I offered to feed him. Leftover lasagna, ratatouille, cheese, tomato sauce… my fridge is a regular cornucopia of good things to eat… not to mention the aforementioned baked goods. He was just about to settle for the lasagna, when he noticed the huge pot on the stove.
“What’s that?”
“Oh… just some chili.”
I later learned that this boy was from the South.
“Chili?!?”
“Yeah… it’s not done yet.”
“How long ’til it’s done?”
Do I lie? Keep it all for myself? *Sigh* No. I cook to give.
“Ten minutes.”
And sure enough, ten minutes later, the three of us were burning our mouths on bowls of this hot, sweet, tasty chili. No pictures, I’m afraid, but I do have a new favorite. I still have one container left in the fridge, and it seems I’ve made a new friend…
Here’s a recipe for the first chili…
Heat 1 tbsp oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 medium white onion, chopped; sauté until brown, about 6 minutes. Add 5 chopped jalapeños (unless you’re not like me with an asbestos tongue… then two or three should be sufficient) and 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced; sauté 1 minute. Add 10 oz beef; sauté until brown, breaking up with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tbsp chili powder, 2 tsp cumin, and 1/2 tsp paprika, then mix in 1 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes with juices, 1 15 oz. can of white beans, and one small bottle of light beer; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chili thickens and flavors blend, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Skim any fat from surface of chili.
