Let's Talk Chili

So I know that chili is usually basically a bean stew or thick bean soup, often, but not always. made with red kidney beans, usually with some sweet green pepper pieces and some tomato, often containing meat of some sort (con carne) often ground beef.  Then, of course it's time to season it and everyone has his own recipe leading to the chili cook-off as a form of entertainment throughout the country.  Key to the seasoning is red chili pepper, right?  Hence the name?  And versions are made from bland to incandescent depending upon how much chili powder (or how many whole red chilis) is added.

But I had heard once from my brother Tim that chili is properly just that, cooked chilis (usually green, I believe) to which other things can be added:  usually onions and some tomato, meat (con carne), beans (con frijole), etc.  One day in Produce Junction I was looking at the big bag of green chili peppers for $2 and said, "Heck, gotta try it!"

First time through, I made peppers and onions using the green chilis for the peppers to which I added some red kidney beans and a can of tomatoes.  It was interesting enough to want to try a second time, paying attention this time.  Also, I wanted to try it con carne.

SO

For the meat, I used 1.15 lb beef brisket which I put in the crock pot with:
12 oz beer
1/4 t whole black peppercorns
1/4 t whole cardamom seed
1/4 t whole black mustard seed
1 bay leaf
4 whole cloves
1 stick cinamon
2 Juniper berries
and 3 cups of water to cover
I simmered this in the crock pot for 6 hours after which the meat fell apart into shredded beef

For the chili:
349 g green chili peppers, sliced into strips about 2 inches long
343 g yellow onions, sliced into strips
17 g garlic
3 t ground cummin
1 t ground yellow mustard
2 t paprika
3 T oregano
2 T unsweetened cocoa
2 cups of broth from the beef
1 can diced tomatoes
59 g fresh cilantro, chopped
38 g lime juice
1/2 t salt or to taste
567 g cooked small red beans

Sliced chilis and onions sauteed in a skillet with the garlic, broth added as needed, seasonings added and stirred in, tomatoes, beans and shredded meat added and stirred in, let cook until peppers and onions are done.  The peppers and onions look like peppers and onions you would make for a boardwalk sausage sandwich except with chilis instead of sweet peppers.

I really like this.  It is very different from regular "bean stew" chili.  The flavor of the peppers really comes through.  Also, it's peppers and onions with some beans, not bean stew with some peppers.  It certainly was not bland but not incandescent by any means; it leaves your mouth full of a warm sunny glow all over.  Not for the faint-at-heart, but not flamin'-Texas-hot.  Notice there is no red chili powder in the recipe; easy enough to dial up the heat by adding some, but I like the natural heat of the green chilis.

Flavor-wise, this came out tasting like peppers and onions with cumin.  It's good, but I was aiming for the full orchestration of a multitude of flavors and the whole thing pretty much got stepped on by the cumin.  Next time I will limit the cumin to 1 t and crank up some of the other seasonings to get a more intricate blend.  I will keep you posted.

Dad