This weekend was about as cold as I can stand it – about 40 degrees, a little cooler at night and maybe 49 during the day. To compound the miserable temperature, it was also gray, rainy, and being December dark by 4:30. By 9:30 it was a type of dark that I swear you don’t see in the summer, the type where you almost can see your hand in front of your face and the moon seems to give off minimal light, the kind where the darkness seems to have a physicality. I knew the weekend would be find due to the excellent number of College Football Conference Championship games, the Duke game vs St. Johns a must win after the loss to Wisconsin, and of course the Dolphins game on Sunday (Thankfully, they kept themselves alive while taking the Patriots down a few needed pegs – see the pictures below).
But I knew that I had no desire to eat out for two night in a row, and as much as I loved the steak on Friday night with my brother, I really felt like cooking. Thus I spontaneously made chili, I offered it to my brother during the SEC championship, and he brought a high school friend and another 1L along for dinner and beer at my place. It was perfect football and discussion food served with a fire, and Algy destroying a rubber ball all over my rug. It was so simple, and absolutely perfect for the evening and the day, and I cannot think of a better dish. Being me, the talk turned political and dealt with national security law, family history, and of course history, until my brother decided he needed to leave before he became a more drunken fool.
The Chili was very simple – and can be prepared ahead in a slow cooker and served when coming home from work. It also makes a lot – it was enough for three 22-24 year old males (1-2 helpings each) myself, and then leftovers yesterday lunch, diner today and at least two bowls left!
I first added butter to a pan, just enough to coat the pan when melted, i threw in to the melting butter dashes of chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, paprika, ground red pepper and a half dash of cinnamon. I then added a 1 1/4 lbs of local ground sirloin that was on special for less then the ground round. I browned the meat in the butter mixture and placed it into the slow cooker. I then added one beer, I used the Highland Brewing companies Winter brew and put 12 oz in (this beer comes in pint sizes only). I then added two cans kidney beans (oil removed first) two pinto beans (oil removed again) and three cans diced tomatoes (one of which was “fire roasted with peppers). I threw in another two dashes each of chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, paprika, ground red pepper and a dash of cinnamon. I added this time a teaspoon dark chocolate, and then a tablespoon and a pinch of minced garlic (I would do the peppers, garlic and seasoning to taste – I went milder then I may have if I had been confident I would be the only one eating). I then chopped, and after removing the seeds, threw in one jalapeno, two green peppers, one orange pepper, one poblano pepper and a half of a yellow onion. I then stirred the pot and covered.
I set the slow cooker onto low and for six hours and 45 minutes let it cook – I then put quickly put the pot on the stove (my slow cooker is designed to go on the stove top some are not) and for 10 minutes boiled some of the excess liquid off.
I served with store bought jalapeno corn bread – and let others spoon cheese and sour cream onto the chili. I added hot sauce and enjoyed, now if someone would just clean up, and then clear my head of this head congestion that has been lingering since Florida causing me to be unable to sleep through the night without nyquil, and therefore to be drowsy and out of it all day, and things may start looking up.
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Chocolate. How did you get onto that? Powder or grated?
Powder dark baking choclate that I had forgotten I had until going through spices to make a pumpkin bread for Clarke.
[...] response to these articles and the cold, I am holed up with my chili made with local beef cooking on the slow cooker as I settle in for a freezing cold Saturday [...]