Someone asked me not too long ago why I liked Chili Con Carne so much. To be honest, I'd not given it any real thought beyond the fact that I just happen to like how it tastes. However, I've been giving it some more inspection, and it really is far more complex than that, I think.
I am very much a Pacific Rim girl. Starting there, I was born in California, spent my early life in Hawai`i, have lived in California, Hawai`i, Tennessee, Texas, spent time in Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. I've spent extensive time in Baja, Mexico. All of this before I even hit 25. It is only in recent years that I've moved to the midwest, so you can easily say, without a doubt, that I have the Southwest and Pacific Rim in my blood. I have chile peppers burned into me as part of my native cuisine, and so it comes natural to me to crave foods that not only serve up the heat, but that also bring a lot of the flavours together of the region to make wonderfully savoury dishes. Enter Chili Con Carne.
No, its not Molé, which is more authentically Mexican, and its more than Salsa Mexicana. Its also more than just biting into a Jalapeño or Habañero. It is certainly not entering a "Death By Capsaicin" challenge. Its about flavour combined with a bit of a kick. Chile Con Carne, despite all the mystery around its origin, is a great fit for this craving. There is so much variety in making the dish, so much control a person has over the profiles going into it, that it is easy to make the dish a thousand times and never have an identical experience. Chili (Con Carne) is a wonderful melting pot of flavours, is a great food to eat in any season, and for me personally, is a wonderful comfort food.
I know that my partner thinks I'm obsessed, but really, isn't anyone who really has a passion and love for something obsessed to a certain degree? I've been making Chili since I was 12, and have recently started to compete in cookoffs sanctioned by The International Chili Society, learning even more about the varieties and types of Chili that are out there. I never knew there were people who competed on a national level in the preparation of Chili, and when I found these others, I felt like I'd found a new family. The more I got to know them, the more I realized that many of them have the same passions outside of "Competition Chili", and make amazing Chili for the sake of making a great pot of "red".
Let me say something to clarify my position with my partner:
I love my partner to death, but she has a very midwestern palate, and does not tend to get involved in my more fiery adventures when it comes to Southwestern, Mexican, and spicy food in general. I'd never force her to, naturally, because she's got her own tastes, and we have a wonderful time being foodies and adventurers with the rest of the cuisines out there, especially Middle-Eastern and Indian foods. I'm also introducing her to Pacific fish, which she's never had very much of. She's really loving it. She puts up with my Chili hobby, but its just not her thing. No harm done.
For the rest of you, my adventures in Chili have led me to a whole new world (don't you dare sing it aloud!) of rediscovery of Latin American cuisine, from South America to Mexico and Spain. Having been raised with a green thumb (thanks, grandpa!), I want to start raising my own herbs and spices (when possible) to make some of my own blends, once we live in a place that will sustain a garden. I want to learn to make my own Molé, and thanks to some inspiration from Rick Bayless, try my hand at some Yucatán cuisine.
I'm a cook, have always been, and am really thrilled to be able to have this kind of cuisine at home to share with my partner and with my friends. Chili is a great way to do that, because it is such a versatile dish, and can be made so many different ways. Even as a sauce for, dare I say it, seafood. I've found some great ways to make a Chili Con Carne applicable to so many dishes, and there are so many chile peppers out there, that I am likely never going to run out of things to try. I hope to share more of them with you as I do.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
What Happened To July?
Heya gang,
So... I know I missed a month... but what can I say, its been quite the month to miss. July has been full of health issues and family stuff, so I've not had much I could contribute. Things are... well I'm not dead. :P
Ok, so back to cooking. I don't have a lot for you, but I wanted to share some of my more recent forays into the cooking world. Lately I've been working on my Chili, as you know, and I've actually completed a far far better batch... in fact, two batches since the last entry. And in the last week, particularly this past weekend, I got to connect with the competition chili cookoff crew finally, and have been learning a LOT! Thanks to Isaiah Frechette and Jim Stoddard particularly for all their help thus far. I've learned more in the last 48 hours than I've learned in the last 9 months of research and cooking experiments. I'm actually preparing for my next round of recipe revisions, though I don't think we'll see another until September. I'm also hoping to connect with some of these folks in person at one of the upcoming chili cookoffs in the semi-local area. More on that as information becomes available.
We've been eating a LOT of roast pork shoulder. We have a recipe that we based ours on, though I've changed it a bit, particularly due to weight, and have adjusted cooking times appropriately. I've added a few of my own twists as well. One reason for the pork indulgence: The local supermarket has been selling a double pack of whole, bone-in pork shoulder (left and right shoulders, respectively), weighing about 15lb total, and for a very reasonable price. One of these packs lasts us at least a month and a half.
These are extremely useful cuts of meat, very versatile. We've made everything from pulled pork sandwiches to pseudo-carnitas, sliced roast and gravy, cubed pork with a chili sauce... its been wonderful.
Today's lunch, for example, was made from the roast pork we made yesterday, which we shredded, and I reheated in a non-stick skillet today with a chopped up chipotle and its surrounding adobo sauce, as well as some dried ingredients such as cilantro, mexican oregano, roasted granulated garlic, and onion powder. With a little bit of kosher salt to finish it off, I added a little bit of water to the pan and lidded it to let the spices soak in, simmered for about 10 minutes, and then made tacos out of it with some warmed flour tortillas. Great stuff!
I'm afraid that, meager as it is, that is all I have for you this time. I will try to have an entry next time that reflects my usual kitchen geekery. Thank you all again for reading, see you next time!
So... I know I missed a month... but what can I say, its been quite the month to miss. July has been full of health issues and family stuff, so I've not had much I could contribute. Things are... well I'm not dead. :P
Ok, so back to cooking. I don't have a lot for you, but I wanted to share some of my more recent forays into the cooking world. Lately I've been working on my Chili, as you know, and I've actually completed a far far better batch... in fact, two batches since the last entry. And in the last week, particularly this past weekend, I got to connect with the competition chili cookoff crew finally, and have been learning a LOT! Thanks to Isaiah Frechette and Jim Stoddard particularly for all their help thus far. I've learned more in the last 48 hours than I've learned in the last 9 months of research and cooking experiments. I'm actually preparing for my next round of recipe revisions, though I don't think we'll see another until September. I'm also hoping to connect with some of these folks in person at one of the upcoming chili cookoffs in the semi-local area. More on that as information becomes available.
We've been eating a LOT of roast pork shoulder. We have a recipe that we based ours on, though I've changed it a bit, particularly due to weight, and have adjusted cooking times appropriately. I've added a few of my own twists as well. One reason for the pork indulgence: The local supermarket has been selling a double pack of whole, bone-in pork shoulder (left and right shoulders, respectively), weighing about 15lb total, and for a very reasonable price. One of these packs lasts us at least a month and a half.
These are extremely useful cuts of meat, very versatile. We've made everything from pulled pork sandwiches to pseudo-carnitas, sliced roast and gravy, cubed pork with a chili sauce... its been wonderful.
Today's lunch, for example, was made from the roast pork we made yesterday, which we shredded, and I reheated in a non-stick skillet today with a chopped up chipotle and its surrounding adobo sauce, as well as some dried ingredients such as cilantro, mexican oregano, roasted granulated garlic, and onion powder. With a little bit of kosher salt to finish it off, I added a little bit of water to the pan and lidded it to let the spices soak in, simmered for about 10 minutes, and then made tacos out of it with some warmed flour tortillas. Great stuff!
I'm afraid that, meager as it is, that is all I have for you this time. I will try to have an entry next time that reflects my usual kitchen geekery. Thank you all again for reading, see you next time!
Friday, June 29, 2012
Holy Macaroni and Chili, Batman!
Ok gang,
Barely making it in for a June entry, but I made it!
Today's adventures aren't as extreme as some of my others, so more just an update or two. I'll work backwards, starting with the most recent bit of cooking. I made Macaroni and Cheese. I found a general recipe that I liked, and of course, I modified the living daylights out of it. I don't have any photos of the making of it, but I do have a photo or two of the finished product. Here's the short list of what I did:
1. Grated 8oz each of extra sharp Cheddar and Colby cheeses, set aside.
2. Chopped up 1/2 of a medium yellow onion.
3. Portioned out some Smoked Paprika, Ground Onion, Ground Roasted Garlic, and Ground Cayenne Pepper.
4. Portioned out about 1 cup of heavy cream and 5 cups of 2% milk.
5. Boiled and drained 1 pound of elbow noodles, cooked to just before al dente, cold rinsed to stop the cooking.
6. Melted 1 stick of butter in a pot over medium heat, let the water bubble out and added about 5-6 tablespoons of flour to it and made a blonde roux. It took about 7 minutes or so to get the color I wanted and that there were no lumps.
7. Slowly added the milk to the roux, whisking to make sure no clumping occurred.
8. Added the spice mix, onions, and 2 bay leaves, and whisked until blended.
9. Cooked this mix for about 10-12 minutes over medium-low heat to thicken.
10. I then whipped up a single egg and used the mixture to temper the egg in, making a custard, and then returned the tempered egg mixture to the pot.
11. Added about 2/3 of the cheese, which had been mixed together to make sure of an even distribution, and stirred in until blended.
12. At this point, I seasoned the sauce with kosher salt and black pepper.
13. Final rinse on the noodles, which had remained hydrated without an issue, shook them good to drain the remaining water, and then added back into the pot and mixed well.
14. Scooped the mix into my favourite trio of ceramic baking dishes (seen below), coated each with the remaining cheese, and a topping made of panko breadcrumbs that had been tossed in about 6/8 of a stick of butter, which I'd melted in the microwave.
15. Uncovered, placed these on a sheet pan in case bubbling over occurred, and baked for 30 minutes.
16. I then pulled them from the oven and rested them for about 5 minutes before cutting it into portions.
I'd given my partner a taste of the sauce before I portioned the casseroles out, and she was ecstatic. I'm amazingly happy with how this came out! I've not made a Béchamel Sauce in ages, and I'm only so-so when making a Roux. But even so, this came out amazing. A photo of it follows below.
The other thing to note is my first attempt at a competition red chili. I'm not posting this recipe, though I will say that I started by writing a recipe based on my experience with making homestyle chili, and then went to town in the kitchen. I ended up modifying the heck out of the thing, making notes all throughout the process, and making my recipe sheet look like an insane grand unification equation gone berserk. But in the end, it came out amazingly good, but not at ALL red.
In fact, it came out brown. :(
*SIGH*
However, the people I served it to, at one of our annual meat festivals, bear hugged me. And these are grown men, who are professional heavy metal rockers. I think it was a taste success. But it isn't where I want it yet. A photo of it follows as well.
And now... the photos!
Barely making it in for a June entry, but I made it!
Today's adventures aren't as extreme as some of my others, so more just an update or two. I'll work backwards, starting with the most recent bit of cooking. I made Macaroni and Cheese. I found a general recipe that I liked, and of course, I modified the living daylights out of it. I don't have any photos of the making of it, but I do have a photo or two of the finished product. Here's the short list of what I did:
1. Grated 8oz each of extra sharp Cheddar and Colby cheeses, set aside.
2. Chopped up 1/2 of a medium yellow onion.
3. Portioned out some Smoked Paprika, Ground Onion, Ground Roasted Garlic, and Ground Cayenne Pepper.
4. Portioned out about 1 cup of heavy cream and 5 cups of 2% milk.
5. Boiled and drained 1 pound of elbow noodles, cooked to just before al dente, cold rinsed to stop the cooking.
6. Melted 1 stick of butter in a pot over medium heat, let the water bubble out and added about 5-6 tablespoons of flour to it and made a blonde roux. It took about 7 minutes or so to get the color I wanted and that there were no lumps.
7. Slowly added the milk to the roux, whisking to make sure no clumping occurred.
8. Added the spice mix, onions, and 2 bay leaves, and whisked until blended.
9. Cooked this mix for about 10-12 minutes over medium-low heat to thicken.
10. I then whipped up a single egg and used the mixture to temper the egg in, making a custard, and then returned the tempered egg mixture to the pot.
11. Added about 2/3 of the cheese, which had been mixed together to make sure of an even distribution, and stirred in until blended.
12. At this point, I seasoned the sauce with kosher salt and black pepper.
13. Final rinse on the noodles, which had remained hydrated without an issue, shook them good to drain the remaining water, and then added back into the pot and mixed well.
14. Scooped the mix into my favourite trio of ceramic baking dishes (seen below), coated each with the remaining cheese, and a topping made of panko breadcrumbs that had been tossed in about 6/8 of a stick of butter, which I'd melted in the microwave.
15. Uncovered, placed these on a sheet pan in case bubbling over occurred, and baked for 30 minutes.
16. I then pulled them from the oven and rested them for about 5 minutes before cutting it into portions.
I'd given my partner a taste of the sauce before I portioned the casseroles out, and she was ecstatic. I'm amazingly happy with how this came out! I've not made a Béchamel Sauce in ages, and I'm only so-so when making a Roux. But even so, this came out amazing. A photo of it follows below.
The other thing to note is my first attempt at a competition red chili. I'm not posting this recipe, though I will say that I started by writing a recipe based on my experience with making homestyle chili, and then went to town in the kitchen. I ended up modifying the heck out of the thing, making notes all throughout the process, and making my recipe sheet look like an insane grand unification equation gone berserk. But in the end, it came out amazingly good, but not at ALL red.
In fact, it came out brown. :(
*SIGH*
However, the people I served it to, at one of our annual meat festivals, bear hugged me. And these are grown men, who are professional heavy metal rockers. I think it was a taste success. But it isn't where I want it yet. A photo of it follows as well.
And now... the photos!
The Mac and Cheese right out of the oven.
Extreme closeup!
*sigh* Brown, but amazingly good chili.
Keep cooking, everyone, and I'll see you next time!
Monday, May 7, 2012
Another late update... I need to get better at this...
Hi gang!
Ok, I know I'm posting in a rather sporadic manner, and I'm rather overdue, but here's something new for you.
I've been spending a lot of time on a cast iron forum that I found, and am really excited to have made that connection, because there is just so much good information! I know I showed you all my "catch" from Michigan, and even the pan that I cleaned from that batch. That pan was cleaned using "The Oven Cleaner Method", which involves setting out a tin roasting pan with a garbage bag in it, and the pan inside of that. You spray it down on both sides and then leave it to soak in, wrapping the bag tightly so that the oven cleaner doesn't evaporate. It takes a few coats of the toxic smelling stuff, and its messy and hard to deal with, and takes a few weeks of sitting and reapplying coats, smelling up the house and possibly doing damage to your lungs.
The gang on the forum have other methods that are much more effective, and less dangerous to your lungs: using electrolysis to clean the pan, and using a bath of water and sodium hydroxide, or lye. Because I live in a small apartment, and I don't have room, nor money, to invest in an electrolysis rig, I decided to research lye even more.
First of all, its caustic stuff. Lye is used in soap making, and believe me, it will get you clean, but in its pure form, when added to water, it can eat away at your clothes and skin. I did a lot of reading online both at this forum and in other areas on the internet, and found that while it can be dangerous, so is a car, if you are irresponsible with it. Be cautious, and respect your tools, and you'll be fine. I decided to do this.
I got myself a nice lime green Sterilite tub/bin, and ordered lye from a chemical supply store. I researched the proper labeling and safety precautions, and made some labels for the bin, added my water, and then added my lye. While I don't have photos of any of the results yet (and I apologize for that, life has been kinda insane lately), I do have photos of the lye bath being setup and the pans resting inside of it, being cleaned nearly immediately upon entering the tub.
I'll have more photos next time of the results of this cleaning. Enjoy all, and sorry for the late update. Happy cooking!
Ok, I know I'm posting in a rather sporadic manner, and I'm rather overdue, but here's something new for you.
I've been spending a lot of time on a cast iron forum that I found, and am really excited to have made that connection, because there is just so much good information! I know I showed you all my "catch" from Michigan, and even the pan that I cleaned from that batch. That pan was cleaned using "The Oven Cleaner Method", which involves setting out a tin roasting pan with a garbage bag in it, and the pan inside of that. You spray it down on both sides and then leave it to soak in, wrapping the bag tightly so that the oven cleaner doesn't evaporate. It takes a few coats of the toxic smelling stuff, and its messy and hard to deal with, and takes a few weeks of sitting and reapplying coats, smelling up the house and possibly doing damage to your lungs.
The gang on the forum have other methods that are much more effective, and less dangerous to your lungs: using electrolysis to clean the pan, and using a bath of water and sodium hydroxide, or lye. Because I live in a small apartment, and I don't have room, nor money, to invest in an electrolysis rig, I decided to research lye even more.
First of all, its caustic stuff. Lye is used in soap making, and believe me, it will get you clean, but in its pure form, when added to water, it can eat away at your clothes and skin. I did a lot of reading online both at this forum and in other areas on the internet, and found that while it can be dangerous, so is a car, if you are irresponsible with it. Be cautious, and respect your tools, and you'll be fine. I decided to do this.
I got myself a nice lime green Sterilite tub/bin, and ordered lye from a chemical supply store. I researched the proper labeling and safety precautions, and made some labels for the bin, added my water, and then added my lye. While I don't have photos of any of the results yet (and I apologize for that, life has been kinda insane lately), I do have photos of the lye bath being setup and the pans resting inside of it, being cleaned nearly immediately upon entering the tub.
The tub, ready to accept water and lye.
The tub, full of 5 gallons of water.
Adding lye to the tub.
Two pans, already coming clean from the bath.
I'll have more photos next time of the results of this cleaning. Enjoy all, and sorry for the late update. Happy cooking!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Late update!
Hi gang!
This will be a simple update, but here is the latest. I've not been doing a lot creative lately, so I don't have as much as I'd usually put here, but there are two things I'd like to share.
The first is cast iron. I've been working on the small Griswold #3 pan, and am really happy with how its come out. Here's a before and after for you, top and bottom:
This will be a simple update, but here is the latest. I've not been doing a lot creative lately, so I don't have as much as I'd usually put here, but there are two things I'd like to share.
The first is cast iron. I've been working on the small Griswold #3 pan, and am really happy with how its come out. Here's a before and after for you, top and bottom:
This is the bottom of the pan, before cleaning.
And the top/inside of the pan, before cleaning.
And now, drum roll!
The bottom of the pan, after cleaning.
And the top/inside of the pan, before cleaning.
Amazing, no? I'm really really excited about how these are coming out! I've only had the chance to work on the one, and I was using the oven cleaner method for this pan. I plan to try a lye bath for the next couple of pieces, I'll let you know how that goes.
The next update isn't anything spectacular, just sharing my latest breakfast meal: Chorizo and Egg Burritos with cheese and potatoes. Generally, I make my meals for a week, and I've been making these for a couple of weeks now, slightly varying the recipe as I go along. I am afraid I don't have any pictures, but here's how the recipe generally rolls out with variables in parenthesis:
5 flour tortillas (preferably made with lard and not too thick)
10 oz of loose Chorizo, pork or beef will do (loose meaning not chorizo links, but loose like you'd find breakfast sausage)
5 eggs
Grated Cheddar Cheese to taste
(3 small red potatoes)
(1/4 of 1 white or yellow onion)
If using potatoes, par-cook the potatoes, either in the microwave or by boiling. If boiling, cut beforehand into around 1/4 inch squares. If using microwave, cut after they cool a bit. Cooking time will vary depending on your microwave.
If using onions, cook onions on medium-low heat until they become translucent in a nonstick pan. At this time, add the chorizo into the same pan, and continue to cook at medium-low to medium heat, letting it loosen in the pan until it becomes fine and slightly caramelized. Set aside to let cool. (if not using onions, cook chorizo as above)
Break the eggs into a small mixing bowl and whip together, either with a fork or whisk. I usually lightly wipe out the pan the chorizo was cooking in and then dump the eggs in to scramble, also on medium-low to medium heat until just barely done.
Heat each tortilla either in the microwave or using a pan on the stove, until the tortilla is pliable. (I generally put them in the microwave one at a time, for about 15 seconds) Combine your ingredients and roll as you would roll any tortilla, either as a burrito or a taco.
That's it for this round! Everyone stay cooking and stay tuned for updates. I'll try not to go so long between updates next time.
Happy cooking!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Antiquing In Michigan, February 2012
Antiquing? What does that have to do with kitchen stuff? Well, I'll tell you...
It has to do with getting some vintage cast iron! I made out like a bandit this trip, and ended up with 6 different pans, which I'll show you below. I didn't pay more than $15 for any one of these items, and they're all in completely restorable condition, and will look amazing when done. For now, here are each of them (click on image for larger version):
It has to do with getting some vintage cast iron! I made out like a bandit this trip, and ended up with 6 different pans, which I'll show you below. I didn't pay more than $15 for any one of these items, and they're all in completely restorable condition, and will look amazing when done. For now, here are each of them (click on image for larger version):
Pan 1:
Pan 2:
Pan 3:
Pan 4:
Pan 5:
Pan 6:
That's it! And that's also it for this entry... I don't have any new adventures in cookery to share yet, but I'll have something more interesting next time. For now, enjoy the pans, and I'll let you know when I have them cleaned and seasoned. I'm hoping to try a few new techniques as well, so will let you know more about that when the time comes.
Happy cooking!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Delays, delays...
Sorry for the delay gang, I know its been a while since my last entry.
I have to admit that there's not been a lot going on here lately, January has been a rather low key month, though I assure you I've been coming up with more ideas. Most of them involve meat, and a few involve chili, though I'll not give away too many details. In another turn of events, there will be a lot more meat to do things with if all goes well this February. Its looking like there may even be some venison to talk about! I'm very excited about that possibility, I really do love venison. Its such a versatile meat, and I can't wait to bring new things to the site with some of my ideas. In the meantime, I'll try to post here and there with some of my ideas or with some of my experiments with what I do have around. Maybe even bacon, because it just makes everything better. ^^
For now, keep cooking, and see you next time!
I have to admit that there's not been a lot going on here lately, January has been a rather low key month, though I assure you I've been coming up with more ideas. Most of them involve meat, and a few involve chili, though I'll not give away too many details. In another turn of events, there will be a lot more meat to do things with if all goes well this February. Its looking like there may even be some venison to talk about! I'm very excited about that possibility, I really do love venison. Its such a versatile meat, and I can't wait to bring new things to the site with some of my ideas. In the meantime, I'll try to post here and there with some of my ideas or with some of my experiments with what I do have around. Maybe even bacon, because it just makes everything better. ^^
For now, keep cooking, and see you next time!
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