The Great Chili Confrontation, Part #4

When we last left the Great Chili Confrontation, H. Allen Smith, the Nor-Easterner Yankee up start had figured he had endured enough insults from the Chili Appreciation Society International of Dallas and elsewhere in Texas and he threw down the gauntlet by uttering these now famous fighting words, "You want good chili, do it my way!"

This bold statement by Smith was taken as an insult to all the chili lovers in the State of Texas and a challenge to the Great Chili Appreciation Society International of Dallas. This chain of events set in motion the first chili cooking challenge and was the start of a national phenomenon, The chili cook-off.

Initially, most of the players in the drama, including H. Allen Smith, were newspapermen and other print journalists and as a result most of the print media in the state of Texas got involved in the Chili Hostilities. Smith became an army of one, facing down an angry mob of insulted Texas chili heads. The editorials and letters to the editors were filled with taunts and insults. Smith resolved to hold the high ground and not respond to the vitriolic commentary but after months of the slings and arrows from the Texicans, he gave in to the ceaseless harangue and fired back with letters loaded with a few barbs of his own. He wrote, and I quote, "A guy could get more flavor from a set of stewed piano keys," "made from meat as tender and tasty as harness straps or cut up motor mans gloves." "owl residue" "made from the tail knots of longhorn steers" and to even suggesting that the secret ingredient in Texas Chili was "dried rattlesnake urine."

In spite of the ongoing mudslinging, Smith steadfastly refused to participate in what he called sham contest that would be judged by prejudicial Texas chili heads and would sooner get in a crap game with loaded dice. The GCASIofD ignored Mr. Smith's protests and set a date and named the place for the first chili shoot-out. The ghost town of Trelingua, Texas was chosen. It was to be held at the 220,000acre ranch owned by the race car driver Carroll Shelby and David Witts, the manufacturer of the deodorant, Pit Stop. If you try to find Trelingua on a map of Texas, look for the town of Alpine in the Big Bend area of the map, that would be the big bump that pokes down into Mexico. Find Alpine and follow the two lane straight south for 80 miles and you will pass through the old mining town of Trelingua, Texas. If you get to the Rio Grande River, then you have gone about 12 miles too far.

After months of preparation, the stage was set for the Cook-off. Band were expected to come and play, an airstrip had been provided some miles north of town for all the dignitaries who were expected and every building still standing with a partial roof was commandeered for sleeping quarters. It was a BYOBR, bring your own bed roll, situation. A team of chefs, in the employ of the head chef at the Johnson Ranch, was retained to feed the masses. All was set except the Yankee blowhard, now dubbed "Soupy" Smith, who was still a hold out.

The threats, insults and even undisclosed cash incentives failed to budge Smith. When all looked lost and the festivities were going to called off, H. Allen Smith accepted to meet in the street of the ghost town at High Noon on the appointed day.

To be continued......

In the meantime, here is an interesting Chili recipe and is the coup de grace of Grand Prix racer Carroll Shelby. But beware, if you use hot chile pepper in the amount called for. It is truly a pot of fire. Best to start out with less and add more later while the batch is a brewing.

• 1/2 pound suet or 1/2 cup cooking oil or bacon drips

• 1 pound beef round, coarse chili grind

• 1 pound beef chuck, coarse chili grind

• 1 8-ounce can of tomato sauce

• 1 12-ounce can of Lone Star Beer

• 1/4 cup ground hot red chile

• 2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 1 1/4 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika, scant

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt

• Pinch cayenne pepper

• 3/4 pound of Jack cheese, grated

1. Melt the fat or oil in a heavy large (4 qt.) pot over medium-high heat. Remove the unrendered suet and add the meat to the pot. Break up any lumps with a wooden spoon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is evenly browned.

2. Add the tomato sauce, beer, ground chile, garlic, onion, oregano, paprika, 1 tsp. of the cumin, and the salt. Stir to blend. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

3. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding the cayenne pepper. Simmer, uncovered, 1 hour longer.

4. Stir in the cheese and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin. Simmer 1/2 hour longer, stirring often to keep the cheese from burning and sticking. ( Or, just add the cheese at the table for garnish.)

Serves: 4 or less

Black Bean Soup ala Chez James

Yesterday was a glorious day. The first warm day since last year. Looks like the global warming thing is finally going to catch on. I planned to work out in the garden, cleaning up the leaves and left-overs form last year and wanted a quick and easy lunch. I have been hungry for Black Bean Soup for a quite a while and the time was right.
The night before I washed and sorted a one pound bag of dry black beans. I put them in a six qt. heavy Dutch oven over medium high heat. I added the onion and reduced the heat to a simmer for a couple of hours.

Note: If you are an experienced bean cooker, skip ahead as you already know this. Most all legumes will take longer to cook to tender if they are not salted. When the beans or peas are tender enough to mash with your fingers, then add the salt and meat seasonings. Why is this? Well, I really don't know. There is some controversy over this issue and there are several theories that you need a degree in chemistry to understand. I just know what seems to work for me and it probably matters little when you add the salt. I just add all the seasoning at the same time, after the beans are soft.

• 1 Lb. dry black beans
• water to cover
• 1 med. yellow onion, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped celery, with leaves
• 1/2 lb. good bacon, diced and browned
• 1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes with the juice
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. Mexican oregano
• 2 -4 fresh Serrano peppers, chopped or sliced. Careful, these babies have some heat so wear protection.
• 2-3 chic bouillon cubes
• 2 Tb. Lime juice, real lime from a bottle works at this stage
• Salt, black pepper and red pepper to taste

1. Soak the beans overnight or as I prefer, bring to a boil, reduce heat, add the onions and celery and simmer for an hour or so. Then remove from heat and leave to cook and cool overnight.

2. The next morning bring to a boil, reduce heat to high simmer. Add water as needed and stir occasionally. Check to see if beans are starting to get tender. When beginning to get tender, remove from heat. When cool enough to handle without danger of scalding, with a slotted spoon, remove about 1/3 of the beans. In batches, puree in the blinder until a smooth consistency and return to the pot.

3. In a heavy skillet, brown the bacon bits and remove from the drippings. Add the tomatoes, cumin, oregano and chiles and stir fry until the juice evaporates and the tomatoes start to scorch. Remove from heat and dump in with the beans. Deglaze the pan with cold water or a little sherry and add to soup. Add the bacon bits, chicken bouillon cubes, lime juice and simmer a while longer. Stir occasionally and season with salt, pepper and adjust the heat to suit with Tabasco or red pepper.

4. Serve piping hot with a dollop of sour cream. Garnish with chopped Cilantro and red onion. Serve with a wedge of lime on the side. A crusty bread or toasted whole wheat tortillas are great to go with a steaming bowl.

Let's Do Indian

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzN2gUGYUGc

Do you remember just why Christopher Columbus conned Queen Isabella into financing his great adventure? He believed he could find a short cut to the Indian food section of the world. Europe had found that spice was a vital ingredient in turning a meal of gruel and grease into a tasty treat and most of the tea and spices came from India by caravan, a long and costly process. And so he set out to find spice and discovered a new world. And, as they say, the rest is history, blah, blah, blah.

One of the most memorable meals of my life was my first taste of Indian food. I will never forget the first few bites, all of my taste buds were awakened and on high alert. They were being flooded with new and exciting flavors that I had never experienced. I was engulfed by flavors and tastes that my brain could not recognize or identify and it was all good, real good! I was in love.

I had tasted "curry" a couple of times before but had never had real Indian Food. When friends asked me to go with them to an Indian Restaurant, my first reaction was to ask which kind of "Indian." I had recently moved to Houston, TX. and was unaware of the large Indian community. I was not familiar with Indian cuisine other than the stock impression of curry. I was also relieved because I wasn't interested in parched corn, pumpkin, and pemmican of the Native Americans.

Almost nothing on the menu was familiar so my friends ordered. In most Indian restaurants most everything on the menu is ala cart so it is best to order several dishes and then share. This is especially good because it lets you taste a variety of dishes. We ordered, Tandoori Chicken, Lamb Korma, Saag Panner, Chicken Tikka Masala, Channa Masala, Gobi Mattar, Rice and Nan. And for desert we had Kheer, a saffron flavored rice pudding with raisins cashews and slivered almonds. Did I mention that I was in love.

If you are like I was then the list of delicacies that we dined of that night sounds strange and "foreign." I will try to translate. I remember everything that I ate that night because the flavors made such an impression on me. As much as I love to eat and to cook, I have only prepared Indian a few times. Indian cooking is an altogether different process than we are used to as well as the combinations and the variety of spices used.

• Tandoori Chicken: Chicken cut up, skin removed and marinated in a mixture of yogurt, raisins and spices and then skewered and roasted in a wood fired earthen oven. Served with raw onion, lemon and a mint chutney.
• Lamb Korma: Chunks of boneless lamb, cooked in a gravy of yogurt, tomato paste, with raisins, cashews and almonds and spices. Very tasty! (Any meat or vegetable works well prepared this way)
• Saag Paneer: Saag is spinach and Paneer is a farmer cheese, similar to dry curd cottage cheese, pressed until all the water is squeezed out and then cut into chunks. This is nothing like the green glop that you don't like. It is creamy and spicy.
• Chicken Tikka Masala: This is a great curry dish that is found in almost all Indian restaurants. Chicken pieces cooked in a sauce of yoghurt, coconut milk, onions, spices. My mouth waters now! So good with rice.
• Channa Masala: Before you change the channel, hang on, this is a most glorious dish of garbanzo beans. They are cooked with tomato, onions and spices and are easy to prepare at home. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiDMmrRcvOQ&feature=related
• Gobi Mattar: Gobi is cauliflower and Mattar is green peas. Cooked with onions, tomatoes and spices.

If you don't have someone who is familiar with Indian food, the best way to enjoy Indian food for the first time is to go to the noon buffet and try a little of each item. Get used to all the new experiences that your taste buds are having. We may be used to cinnamon and ginger flavors but the combination of them with 4 or 5 other spices makes it into something all together different and wonderful.

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

INGREDIENTS

MASALA MARINADE

• 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• CHICKEN

• 2 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup blanched whole almonds
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tablespoons garam masala
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure chile powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• One 35-ounce can peeled tomatoes, finely chopped, juices reserved
• Pinch of sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the Masala Marinade: In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cayenne and tumeric. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Prepare the Chicken: Using a sharp knife, make a few shallow slashes in each piece of chicken. Add the chicken to the marinade, turn to coat and put in the frig. overnight. Or dump the whole thing into a large Ziploc bag and refrigerate.

3. Preheat the broiler and position a rack about 8 inches from the heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade; scrape off as much of the marinade as possible. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and spread pieces on a baking sheet. Broil the chicken, turning once or twice, until just cooked through and browned in spots, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 2-inch pieces.

4. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat 1teaspoon of oil or ghee, add the almonds and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a plate and let cool completely. In a food processor, pulse the almonds until finely ground.

5. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook over moderate heat, stiring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garam Masala, chile powder and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes with their juices and the sugar and season with salt and pepper. Cover partially and cook over a moderate heat, stirring occasionaly until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Add the cream and ground almonds and cook over low heat stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes longer. Stir in the chicken; simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, and serve.

6. Varation: The marinade and sauce here are also delicious with shrimp, lamb and vegetables. The Chicken Tikka Masala can be made ahead and will keep in the frig. for up to 3 days. Reheat gently before serving.

Serve with steamed basmati rice or Peas Pullao.

Peas (Mattar) Pullao

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs butter or vegetable oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 whole black peppercorns
• 4 whole cardamom pods
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup long-grain rice, preferably basmati, (look for basmati rice, the flavor and the taste will be well worth the cost and time, really.)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 9-oz package frozen sweet peas

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in an ovenproof pot with a lid over moderate heat and saute the onion, peppercorns, cardamom, cumin, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick for 5 minutes.

2. Add the rice and stir until the rice kernels are coated with oil.

3. Add the water, bring to a boil, and simmer covered until about half the water is absorbed, 5 to 7 minutes.

4. Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer without disturbing, until all the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

5. Uncover the pan and mix in the peas while fluffing the rice with a fork; cover and set aside for 5 minutes, until the peas are heated.

6. Before serving, remove the bay leaves, cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick, and fluff the rice with a fork.