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The Secret To Making Perfect Chili Fit For A King
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| Sunday, December 14, 2008 |
Each fall, my thoughts turn to making chili. The garden is about done. The freezer is full of vegetables. All the canning is completed, and winter approaches. Just before winter, the price of beef drops as farmers sell all remaining stock they do not want "over the winter." It is the ideal time to take the freezer with chili house.
There is nothing better than to return home at the end of a cold winter day, chilled to the bone, and sit in a bowl of chili and hot steam coffee black. It is more than food for the body. It's really a comfort to be recalled.
By itself, chili is absolutely delicious. As a dish of grilled cheese sandwiches, tuna substance, or toasted BLTs, it is out of this world. But it is a fabulous meal I call "chili perfect fit for a king," which is even better. It is a masterpiece of cooking.
There are two main secrets, "chili perfect fit for a king." One is being developed, and the other is in the service. The first secret involves understanding the word "perfect". More people disagree on what makes good chili than any other dish. Some think that hotter is better. Others say milder. Some like soup. Others, like it thick. And therein lies the secret to this recipe. When you are finished, you will need 3.4 gallons of chili that is perfect for you ... not for me. Yes, I said 3.4 gallons. When frozen in quart containers, you will have 12-16 wonderful meals that can be served in minutes. Just delete it from the container, add about 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 cup water (depending on how you wish), turn on the burner, put on coffee, and start the grilled cheese and The garlic sandwiches. Your family will eat about 20 minutes.
To begin, you'll need at least 16 quart pot. "I use the 20 quart pot normally used for canning to be sure that I have a pot that is large enough. And you need the following ingredients.
5 lbs. ground chuck
5 Family size (40 1 / 2 oz.) Cans of dark red kidney beans (drained)
1 institutional size (6 lbs 9 oz.) Whole peeled tomatoes
3 large peppers (washed, heart, and seeded) favorite colors
3 medium to large OnInit (about the size of an orange ... peeled and washed)
2 to 4 of the SCT (tbsp) black pepper
1 1 / 2 c. Tea (tsp) 1 tbs of crushed red pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons salt
1 / 4 to 1 / 2 cup chili powder
grated sharp cheddar cheese
cream
chopped chives (fresh or dried)
Open tomatoes and carefully pour the entire contents in the cooking pot. Make sure to keep your hand submerged liquid below the line, find the whole tomatoes one by one. Poke a hole with your thumb, then squeeze the tomatoes, until the pieces Squish between your fingers. WARNING. If you do not push a hole in the tomato before you Squish it, I promise you that you and your kitchen will bring the tomato juice. The same is true if you Squish them with your hands above the liquid. More squishing tomato pieces until they are the size of your choice.
Chop peppers in all coin size pieces and divide into two equal portions. Put half in a bowl and the other in the saucepan with tomatoes. Do the same with the onions, half by placing the pot and the other half in the same bowl that peppers.
Add the drained beans to the pot.
Add 2 tablespoons (tbsp) black pepper.
Add 1 1 / 2 c. Tea (tsp) crushed red pepper.
Add 1 tbs salt.
Add 1 / 4 cup chili powder.
Take a spoon and mix all ingredients thoroughly. Put the saucepan on the stove, and set the burner on the lowest possible setting to boil water. At this stage, May you feel that the chili is too thick. If you are unsure, the best way to tell is if the chili is too difficult to stir. If so, add water to the pot until it is the consistency you prefer. Mix again. Cover the saucepan. (Note: if you add more than two glasses of water, May you want to replace the tomato juice for part of it.)
From now own, two things are very important. Always keep the chili to the consistency you want by adding water if necessary. So that when the chili is made, consistency will be perfect for you. It is also important to stir the pot every 5-10 minutes. When you are cooking this much chili at a given moment, it is possible to burn on the bottom while the chili on top is still cold. Stirring the chili maintains uniformly heated from top to bottom.
Take a large frying pan and press enough ground chuck into the pan to cover the bottom with a layer of about 1 to 1 1 / 2 inch thick. Salt and pepper the meat and then top with a handful of chopped onions and peppers to the bowl. Cover and cook with the burner on one notch higher than the pot is set. Your goal is to partially cook the chuck Gounda, onions and peppers. Check the meat on every 5 minutes until it starts at the farm. When meat and businesses begin to change colors on the bottom, a strong spatula (the kind used to return hamburgers) and use the tip to start cutting meat into pieces shaped pie. Turn pieces on the other side, cover and continue cooking. When the other side starts to firm, using the tip of the spatula, cut the burger in the size pieces you prefer (Again, I prefer mine the size of a dime ). Keep turning the smaller pieces until they have completely turned to the outside and are firm. Remove saucepan from burner and transfer meat to the pot using a slotted spoon. Allow all the fat off the spoon before placing the meat in the pot. Drain fat in the pan, and repeat until you have used all the Chuck field. When you're done, for all chopped peppers and onions in the pot. Again, each time you add meat to the pot, adjust the consistency with water if necessary.
Now everything is in the pot, and it is the perfect consistency. Now it is time to adjust spices. If you do not do so, you should start tasting chili. If you want a strong flavor of pepper, add more chili powder 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time. For more spice, add black pepper 1 tablespoon at a time. If you want to have more bite, add crushed red pepper 1 tsp tea at a time. If it needs salt, add salt 1 / 2 tablespoons at a time. Mix each time you change the flavor, and cook for at least 5-15 minutes before tasting again. ALWAYS sir the pot thoroughly before you taste. Continue to change the flavor until it is perfect for you.
Remember half of raw onions and peppers that have been added directly to the pot? They will tell you when the chili is made. When the raw onions in the pot to begin to turn clear, turn off the burner. Do not overcook the peppers and onions as they add a nice crunchy texture to the sweet chili. If you can bear, chili allow to sit covered for about an hour to allow flavors to mature and mingle. Stir and serve. If you prefer, warm part of the chili in a small saucepan and serve bubbling hot. Let the rest of chili to stand in the pot until it cools enough space in containers and freeze.
You have one. Perfect chili. Just the way you want.
The second secret that makes chili perfect fit for a king is in the service. Everything is perfect chili in a category all by itself, it can be wonderfully enhanced by making a meal that rewards all your tastes and your senses. Hot, cold, sweet, spicy, Sharp, flat ... something for every aspect of your culinary palette.
In this spirit, we will plan meals. To begin to dispense with the ordinary salad and add something with more joy and contrast. To do this, there is nothing more beautiful than ice cold fruit plate served with bubbles Hot Chili. For the fruit plate, you'll need the following ingredients.
1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks.
1 29 oz. can peach halves (heavy syrup preferred)
1 29 oz. can pear halves (heavy syrup preferred)
1 6 oz. jar of maraschino cherries red
1 6 oz. Green jar maraschino cherries
1 small jar of spices crabapple rings
crisp cold lettuce
jalapeno pepper-jack cheese
Put all ingredients in the bottom of the refrigerator for at least 24 hours (48 hours is better).
Just before serving time, remove ingredients from the refrigerator and drain all fruits. Divide the pear halves and fishing equal on six salad plates covered with a bed of lettuce crisp cold. Fill in around half of the fruit pieces with pineapple slices and crabapple. Spread the cold red and green maraschino cherries on all the plates of fruit, and line the outside edge of each plate bite size nuggets of jalapeno pepper-jack cheese.
Fill bowls of chili straight from the pot bubbling. Top with grated sharp cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Finish with a light dusting of chives. Serve the fruit plate and chili with hunks of hot buttered garlic bread and sweet iced tea. For dessert, followed with pecan pie, lemon meringue pie, or hot blueberry cobbler topped with Vanilla Ice cream ... served with steaming cups of strong black coffee. Oh! My!
Perfect chili can be more than just stick to your ribs "home" cooking. It may be a culinary masterpiece that produces such delicious and complement the contrasting flavors and sensations that is quite literally "fit for a King."
Bon appetite!
Copyright 2004 by John Foutz All Rights Reserved
John Foutz has been marketing quality products on the Internet since 1999. His latest offering "Cat Head Biscuits and Garlic Fried Chicken" represents Southern cooking at its best. 180 mouth-watering dishes that are the bereaved family. Heirloom recipes from the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. For more information, visit www.BlueRidgeGourmet.com |
posted by neptunus @ 3:06 AM
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