So, a balmy 25 F. out there, snow starting to get crunchy, packed down on the streets, but the wind chill is all the way up to 11 degrees F. Practically summer.
A pot of chili is on the stove. Pretty much my standard brew, though I used a spicy ground chicken for the meat this time, and small red instead of kidney beans. Usual other stuff -- garlic, peppers, onion, diced tomatoes, and all the spices that you see in the picture.
Needs to simmer for a couple-three more hours.
Yum.
Where is my sppon bro..I am a chili loving machine....looks great!
ReplyDeleteI can be down there by six.
ReplyDeleteWith Nazi beer.
Oh, yeah, doped-up drunken guy with a blown-out lumbar disk on the snowy-roads? You have to have chains to drive through the city of Portland, wouldn't that be fun to watch you stop on the bridge and put 'em on?
ReplyDeleteBesides, whatever damage you did, on the highways I'm sure they'd blame me.
Lie down, Kid. Get some rest. It's just chili.
So...How was it?
ReplyDeleteWell, not to put too fine a point on it, it was the best chili I've ever made, and I have made a few decent batches.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I can't duplicate it, because I don't know how much of each spice I used ...
A tad too warm for the dogs to eat, but I ate three bowls. I cannot complain.
so is there a documented recipe for this or is that secret?
ReplyDeleteI posted this a while back, I think.
ReplyDeleteBasic Perry-household chili recipe: Beans -- you can use pinto, kidney, or red beans, small or large. Qs to cover the bottom of the big soup pot. Cover them with water and let them soak until most of the water gets sucked up, pour the rest off. (One theory says this will help them cook faster and prevent as much intestinal gas after you eat them, but I can't say I've noticed much difference.)
Add fresh water to cover the beans, then boil them over low heat until mostly done, and add spices as you go -- salt, pepper, cayenne, a jalapeno pepper, fresh or dried, like that. Keep an eye on the water, too, more as necessary.
Probably take an hour and a half to two hours to get the beans mostly cooked.
Put them to the side.
In a skillet, sautee chopped onions, Bell pepper, garlic. When it is happy, add ground meat -- we like turkey, but beef or pork or chicken will do. A pound is probably enough, but more or less, to taste.
Cook on high heat until the meat is browned, stir frequently. Add spices as you go -- oregano, cayenne, cumin, clove, a dash of cinnamon, more ground pepper, you can get creative. We like to put in a few sprinkles of Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning. (That's "Sash-shur-ray," in case you ever want to ask for it by name.)
Add this mix to the beans. Put in some diced tomatoes, canned are okay. More spices. Chili powder is okay, too. A dash of Tabasco Sauce, or if you like it hotter, Sudden Death Sauce, Muerte, Crazy Motherpucker, like those.
Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and allow it to simmer for another couple hours, and there you have it. Simple, easy, and very filling. But: if you like to have a candle by your bedside before you doze off, skip it on chili night, or risk immolation ...
Well, for us it was the awesome split pea soup I made the other night...
ReplyDeleteWe are totally getting hammered up in the islands north of Seattle, Canadian snow just won't stay in Canada-a.
I grew up in Portland, Where are you at down there? My trek was Portland to the Oregon Coast Range, back to Portland, then a farm in Hillsboro, then farm on Sauvie Island, now the San Juans.
I have to say, Portland is more hip than Seattle in various ways, but it's still a city...
Thanks for the pics of the delicious looking Chili,
John at Dojo Rat
John -- We are in beautiful Beaverton -- where Portland goes to buy its fast-food burgers, land of the 7-Elevens ...
ReplyDeleteStill snowing here, been off and on, and still in the mid-twenties. Warmed up at PDX, where they are getting bit of rain and snow mix.
We used to live in Port Townsend, I've taken the ferry through the San Juans a few times. Beautiful places.
I love Port Townsend;
ReplyDeleteI lived there in the early '80's and went to the Boat Building school there. We go there once a month to train with my Tai Chi Chuan instructor Michale Gilman. Of course, My wife and I rent a cheap hotel room over the old Town Tavern so we can get a good dose of PT culture, food and the bands at both the Tavern and Sirens, our favorite bar down the street.
-- I know the Beaverton Or. area well, used to drag race on the TV highway and chase girls from other high schools out there. The Hillsboro farmhouse was off 185th and (West Union)? I believe, right by the Mad Greek Deli. When my Dad was a kid, he said they were still logging out there. My how things have changed...