I have been asked to fill out a chili contest, not my specialty. I have no idea of the level of competition. Contest is tomorrow afternoon.
I am looking to merge beef & Italian sausage with a vegetable recipe.
I can be talked out of the above but my main questions are the toppings.
Simple topping would be Fritos corn chips and shredded Cheddar.
Mild cooked in heat with Portuguese piri piri sauce on the side.
This is a Church event so no beer to put out the fire.
Paul in PA
A far as sides go:
Corn chips (Fritos or regular tortilla chips, your choice).
Corn bread.
Shredded cheese.
Sour cream.
Cilantro.
Sliced jalapenos (fresh or pickled).
Sweet tea is a necessity down here.
Andy
I can be talked out of the above but my main questions are the toppings.
Simple topping would be Fritos corn chips and shredded Cheddar.
Paul, Add chopped onions and that's called Frito Pie down here. It's a fun choice though.
Chopped Onions On Top ?
Paul in PA
Chopped Onions On Top ?
Pretty much. Just lay down some Fritos, ladel some chili on top, offer them a choice of onions and/or cheese on top and that's pretty much Frito Pie.
I like some yellow onions on mine. Vidalias are the best.
No beans in the mix please.
Cheddar topping with the onions I find quite good.
You can use the large Fritos as scoopers or the Tostito Scoops work just fine.
No need to sweat it. Stop by your favorite grocery store and pick up an appropriate number of cans of chili. Mix and match brands and ingredients just for fun. Dump the correct number of cans of chili into your pot. Then toss a wild collection of vegetables such as cucumber, radish, cauliflower, celery and the like into a super blender, reducing them to teeny tiny little unidentifiable bits. Then stir that gunk into your store-bought chili. People can guess all night as to what your secret ingredients are. If you really want to have some fun, purchase some rabbit meat, then grind and cook like hamburger to add into the mix----a little hare in the soup if you will.
Forget the Italian sausage unless you're making Yankee "Chili" with kidney beans and all sorts of other stuff that doesn't belong in Chili.
Real (Texas) Chili
2 lbs. coarse-ground beef (about 93% lean). You can use hamburger in a pinch, but coarser grind beef is better.
Sear the beef in a hot pan with just a bit of oil and then add:
1 - 8 oz. can of Tomato Paste
16 oz. Beef Broth
1 Tablespoon of Onion Powder
2 Teaspoons of Garlic Powder
1 Tablespoon of Paprika
3/4 Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper (or more)
6 Tablespoons of Chili Powder made in Texas
1 Teaspoon of Cumin
Salt to taste
This is the pure Texas Red Chili.
Simmer for about 40 minutes, covered, until the beef is tender.
If you want to stretch it, add:
2 - 16 oz. cans of Bush's Pinto Beans.
Serve with shredded sharp cheddar cheese and diced yellow onions on top.
Cornbread is good with it.
Not going to help you at this short notice, but this is where I get my chili powder
http://www.penderys.com/ground-chile.html
http://www.penderys.com/more-ground-chiles.html
I Am Not Eating At The Cow Residence
I like to see what I am eating.
Paul in PA
Kent's Chili Looks Too Simple, So It Is Probably Right
I am off to get the few things I do not already have.
Will report back tonight.
Paul in PA
I Am Not Eating At The Cow Residence
At a church-sponsored chili contest a couple of years back the winning chili held a surprise for everyone. No hamburger or beef of any kind. The chef's special ingredient was moose that he had shot himself.
Kent's Chili Looks Too Simple, So It Is Probably Right
Kent just handed you the "church" version of chili. Here we make it with probably three times that amount of chili powder and trade the beef broth for two 8oz. cans of Ro-Tel w/peppers.
Kent's Chili Looks Too Simple, So It Is Probably Right
“Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.” Lev. 19:19
Extrapolating the general idea, clearly that many tomatoes is an abomination unto the LORD.
Kent's Chili Looks Too Simple, So It Is Probably Right
Ok, i get it, this is a church function.
Disclaimer: My posts and recipes haven't received Vatican approval. 🙂
Eppur si muove
Half the deal here is if you make that chili thick enough you can make Frito Pie from it, Too thin and you get Frito noodle soup.
Kent's recipe is good, made from "scratch".
I cheat and use Carroll Shelby's boxed chili kit (yes, from race car fame). 1 box for 2 lbs. meat, all other ingredients inside. I use 4 lbs. meat and 2 boxes.
There is a place in downtown Austin called the Texas Chili Parlor. I've been eating chili there for 30 years. The recipe above is the closest I have come to matching it.
I use a roast, cut into 1" cubes and cook for 8 hours in a crockpot on high, stirring every hour, or overnight in a crockpot on low.
I consider the 2 lbs. to be about 4-6 of my servings.
Whatever you do, don't add beans.
For church, if you want to feed more people, double it.
Kent's Chili Is Right
Keep it Simple. An honest tradicionalisto's recipe.
Chili con carne was originally a way to preserve a windfall of game meat without refrigeration. The chilies y salsa de tomate contained the acidity that prevented spoilage. Tomatoes and chili peppers are an essential ingredient...otherwise it's just stew.
BTW - My father grew up in San Antonio and considered it the Mecca of true chili con carne. He use to make some stuff that would strip paint..His secret ingredients included a not-so-well-known chili pequin; about the size of a pea with the kick of mule.
PS - Fritos are also an almost essential part of a good chili meal, for reasons that should be obvious to some folks.
Second Place, But I Enjoyed All The Entrants
Knowing they were light on competitors I opted to make 2 pots.
Pot one was essentially Kent's recipe, but lighter on the hot stuff. I marinated the ground beef in teriyaki sauce. It browned up nice. Most of the teriyaki ended up as kitchen odors.
Since all chilies had to be named I called it "T" for Timid, you can figure that out.
I had a lot of stops at my table for real chili lovers to add my Piri Piri or some Aztec Chipoltle sauce to whatever they had. The kids kept coming back to grab my Fritos. The oldest gentleman to come to the fest kept coming back for my pickled Jalapenos.
Pot two was a vegetable chili, no fake meat, just all veggies. Having never made a veggie chili before I was surprised as to how well it came out. It took second place to another veggie chili. I lost by $3 in the ballot box. I do know that more of my chili was eaten than the winner. A couple of my potential voters were still sitting and talking when they tallied up the count. I got votes from the son of the winner but I think her husband was bullied into emptying his wallet.
Heck, my wife liked it and she hates everything I cook with peppers in it. In honor of Lucy I named it "Veeta-Vita-Veggie chili".
Between the two chilies I garnered the most money into the church coffers which is what it was all about. Just, wait till next year.
Paul in PA
Some people just won't listen and come out in second place
Some people just won't listen and come out in second place. I'm tellin' ya that cucumber, radish, cauliflower, celery, kitchen sink special additive would have made all the difference.:-P
Second Place, But I Enjoyed All The Entrants
> Pot one was essentially Kent's recipe, but lighter on the hot stuff. I marinated the ground beef in teriyaki sauce. It browned up nice. Most of the teriyaki ended up as kitchen odors.
Holy Hazmat, Batman! The version I posted was the mild recipe. If you leave out the powdered chiles and the cayenne (and cook the meat in Teriyaki Sauce!) you might as well serve it with Kim Chee or Sauerkraut on a Kaiser Roll. :>
