Let's talk about Chili

[Silurian]

I grew some Jalapeno last year.
They were attacked by red spider mite

 

[CavLancer]

So...did you hose off the buggers with pesticide?

 

[onejayhawk]

Not sure.
She always asks if the chilies are very hot and complains if they are not when the dish arrives. There are normally four or five large chilies in the dish.

I've raised some that are hot enough.

J

 

[onejayhawk]

I grew some Jalapeno last year.
They were attacked by red spider mite

Spider mites are tough once they get started. Usually it's a sign that the plant was already not healthy. Try working on the soil more before you plant.

J

 

[Silurian]

There were quite a lot before I noticed.
I greatly reduced there numbers a couple of times but they came back and I did not get much of a crop.

 

[AdamCrock]

Sad to hear that Silurian . Wish I knew more about farming/gardening so I could help You with those pests.

 

[onejayhawk]

There were quite a lot before I noticed.
I greatly reduced there numbers a couple of times but they came back and I did not get much of a crop.

Typical. They are not noticeable until the infestation is severe. Fortunately, this means that healthy plants can fight them off.

For the nightshade family (peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco), replanting is asking for long term problems. Soil born problems accumulate. Try something else for a year or completely replace the soil.

J

 

[Quintillus]

I also love chili. I typically make it with tomatoes, beans, green pepper, onion, beef, spices, and at least one type of spicy pepper, either Anaheim, jalapeno, or serrano. When I make it at home, my most common side dish is cornbread. I do like a coney with good chili, and I've had good homemade Cincinnati chili, although what I've had while eating out is either not real Cincinnati chili, or not very good. But at home, I tend to prefer a bowl of chili + cornbread over chili on spaghetti to make it Cincinnati style.

 

[onejayhawk]

Years ago I made a pot of chili. A friend dropped by to talk. Judith made scratch cornbread in a cast iron skillet. Between the two of us, we ate the whole pan of cornbread. Judith (a chef) asked now we liked it. David looked at the empty pan and said, "It wasn't worth a darn."

J

 

[onejayhawk]

Catsup, or ketchup, is pickled fruit, usually tomatoes. In American usage this has become tomato paste in watered vinegar, flavored with dried onion. If I were to make catsup from scratch I would start by cooking, pulping and draining tomatoes. The skins and liquid can go into soup. You will not need any banana, except to sweeten. Banana catsup has its own appeal. Cook and mash your bananas and continue as below.

Heat, adding vinegar to the right acidity. This may take some experimentation. Cook just enough to blend the acid through the tomatoes. Sweeten and season to taste. Onions and celery are traditional, but curry spices work too.

Also be sure to use nonreactive cookwear, such as stainless steel, enamel or glass. The acidity will oxidize metals, giving an unpleasant taste and it could become dangerous. If no such cookwear is available, use a bowl in boiling water.

J

 

[downtown]

Talk about chili in the summer? But chili is most appropriate in the fall and winter. You can't really appreciate a bowl of chili unless you've come in to its smell from a dark, rainy, wintry night.

Yeah, I'd agree it's a better colder weather food, (it's very much in my fall rotation), but good food is good food. Maybe I'd make it a little less hearty in the summer months...but I still cook mine year round

2) Toast your seasonings, especially if using whole dried peppers. Toast whole peppers til crunchy, pour out the seeds, and then crush in a blender or coffee grinder. Cumin should also be toasted a shade darker

Totally agree. The extra step is very much worth it.

4) Water works as well as anything for liquid. Adding beer just before serving is nice, but using it for the long cooking is unnecessary.

Really? Why's that? I've typically cooked by adding about a 3rd of a bottle to the meat as I'm browning it, and then maybe the rest once the mix is in the pot for pretty good results, but I haven't tried to add any later. I want to cook out most of the alcohol, but doing a little with the meat has helped preserve the flavor a little.

7) Onions and garlic should also be added midway. Dry peppers and cumin early on. Green peppers late. Beer and beans just before serving. Purists prefer the beans on the side.

I've always done the garlic fairly early as well. I must have missed recipes that said not to.

I put chocolate and chiles in my chili.

Chocolate? That sounds dangerously close to Cincinnati chili, aka, gross.

I do like throwing celery into stuff, like pastas or pizzas or what not, but I never thought about throwing it into chili. Should remember to do that next time.

I've never done that either. Seems like a gumbo move. I'd try it though.

 

[CavLancer]

Catsup, or ketchup, is pickled fruit, usually tomatoes. In American usage this has become tomato paste in watered vinegar, flavored with dried onion. If I were to make catsup from scratch I would start by cooking, pulping and draining tomatoes. The skins and liquid can go into soup. You will not need any banana, except to sweeten. Banana catsup has its own appeal. Cook and mash your bananas and continue as below.

Heat, adding vinegar to the right acidity. This may take some experimentation. Cook just enough to blend the acid through the tomatoes. Sweeten and season to taste. Onions and celery are traditional, but curry spices work too.

Also be sure to use nonreactive cookwear, such as stainless steel, enamel or glass. The acidity will oxidize metals, giving an unpleasant taste and it could become dangerous. If no such cookwear is available, use a bowl in boiling water.

J

Thank you Jay! I'm going to do exactly as you suggest. :b:

 

[onejayhawk]

Thank you Jay! I'm going to do exactly as you suggest. :b:

Good luck. Let us know what you settle on.

If something is too sweet, add salt. Be warned, this only works to a point. Past that point is inedible.

J

 

[onejayhawk]

Yeah, I'd agree it's a better colder weather food, (it's very much in my fall rotation), but good food is good food. Maybe I'd make it a little less hearty in the summer months...but I still cook mine year round

Good is good.

Totally agree. The extra step is very much worth it.

Most spices herbs develop flavor from toasting. Dried peppers are technically a fruit, so they fall outside the group. That said, caramelizing fruit is a standard technique.

Really? Why's that? I've typically cooked by adding about a 3rd of a bottle to the meat as I'm browning it, and then maybe the rest once the mix is in the pot for pretty good results, but I haven't tried to add any later. I want to cook out most of the alcohol, but doing a little with the meat has helped preserve the flavor a little.

I've always done the garlic fairly early as well. I must have missed recipes that said not to.

This has to do with how flavors mingle. Meat and dried chile are durable flavors. They can stand a lot of cooking. Beer is a complex flavor that breaks down over time. Adding it just before serving is ideal. Prior to that it is only a liquid. The alcohol content is so low I would not worry about it.

Onions, garlic and any green ingredients fall into a middle category. You want the cooked flavor, but if you put them in too early, they tend to disappear. I add green chiles just long enough to soften. Green onions are added at the table. Spices like cumin need more time to extract full flavor.

Chocolate? That sounds dangerously close to Cincinnati chili, aka, gross.

You do not taste the chocolate. It darkens and adds complexity. It is also durable, so you can put it in from the start. That said, it is a harmony note.

I've never done that either. Seems like a gumbo move. I'd try it though.

Yes, it is a gumbo-like thing. Celery and carrots are two of the French "Holy Trinity" (onion is the third). Cajuns substitute sweet peppers for carrot. Chefs refer to them as aromaics. Well softened, they are almost never a bad idea.

It is a sad comment that top level chili competition is more about timing than originality. Cooks prepare packages (bombs) of seasonings and drop them in by the clock. "Secret Ingredients" are for accent notes, not main theme.

Beans are still best served at the table.

J

 

[Spidernova]

I love chilli, as a college student, its a way for me to actually get cheap nutrition

 

[Formaldehyde]

I like chili, but I have never made it myself.

I just recently bought a slow cooker for that express purpose. I just finished off my first batch.

Here is the recipe I used.

For the chili:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium yellow onions, medium dice
1 medium red bell pepper, medium dice
6 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pickled jalapeños or green chiles, drained

 

[Old Hippy]

what's a yellow onion?

 

[Antilogic]

As it so happens, I have a slow cooker! It's been collecting dust in the box above my cabinets.

I think I am going to start trying some recipes.

 

[onejayhawk]

what's a yellow onion?

It is what the name says, an onion with a yellow bulb. They are more strongly flavored than a white onion of the same size. The recipe calls for 2 onion bulbs, about 350 gm each, cut to 1 cm cube. The bell pepper is a completely mild chile. They are using red for color, which is silly in the context.

A couple of tips for using a slow cooker.

1) Brown the meat on the stove. Do it in small batches so you get brown, not grey. Put the meat into the crock pot. Add some water to the pan, bring to boil and scrape the pan the leavings. The technical term is "deglace". Add the liquid to the meat or save it for something else. Chefs kill for this stuff.

2) Cook only meat, water and dried chilies at first. On high for up to an hour. Low for 2-3 hours.

3) After adding herbs and spices (other than the dried chile), never use high.

4) Add anything green 30 minutes or less before serving.

I always did the beans in the slow cooker. Just sayin

J

 

[GoodGame]

This is my go-to fancy chili.

This is roughly my go-to quick and basic chili.

I've mostly given up on vegetarian chili, the best I've been able to do is merely "good", and I've got lots of other awesome vegetarian things I can make instead.

Does the type of beer in the chili matter? Lager, Weiss, brown all, IPA, etc?