The fall chill

Fall is here, and what better way to warm up from the chill in the air than a warm bowl a 'red chili.

Something about the month of October kicks off the chili craving in me. Football games. Early sun sets. The cool red/yellow autumn colors everywhere. Chili only seems appropriate in the summer when it's covering a hot dog. But here we are, a week away from halloween, prime chili time.

I've been wanting to make a really good red chili, but I usually go for the chili verde/pork varieties. But Saturdays are for BEEF, or at least that was the thought process this weekend. Follow to the end for recipe.


A few things to know:

> DO make this chili if you want to make something that will feed a bunch of people, or alternatively feed yo' lazy self for days.
> DO make this chili if you like to try throwing different things in a pot and seeing how they turn out. It's not always perfect, but sometimes it's the only way to learn what tastes good together. Learning is good mmmkay?
> DO make this chili if you like a little to a lot of spice in yourlife.










                               Peppas, Onions, Celery, Garlic                                                       Family Photo

 

After browning the beef and then cooking down the vegetables, it was time to throw this concoction together. In addition to chili powder, I tried using dried chilis, which turned out great. I put them in some boiling beef broth for about 5 minutes, then sliced them for the chili mixture. You can see them in the picture below. At left is the dried Ancho, in the right they are the small brownish red mixture on the right side of the pot.

             Dried Ancho Chilis                                                                             One big happy chili family              

 

 Pouring in some of the finest ale to kick this chili up a notch.

  

                Everything in the pot, time for a beer...                                          ....6 hours later

 

The following is the list of things I used. In some cases, I know how much of an ingredient I used. In others, I have no idea. Which is fantastic. For anyone who worries about the exact part of cooking, make chili. It's pretty forgiving. Worst thing that can happen is it will be too spicy, too salty, or just downright weird, but someone will eat it.

For the chili:

- 2 lbs. boneless chuck. This is good meat for chili as you can get it in chunks or chop it yourself. The longer you cook the chili, the more it breaks down. And the longer you cook the chili, the more beers you can drink
- 2 cans beans (small cans 14 oz). I used red kidney, but you can use whatever you want. Equal Opportunity Employer.
- 1 can diced tomatoes (big can 28 oz).
- 1 can fire roasted crushed tomatoes (small can)
- Some tomato paste (optional, but helps chili consistency make its middle to high school leap from soup to stew)
- 3 celery stalks
- 2 or 3 bell peppers. Again, use whatever color you like.
- 1 serrano pepper. Dem spicy ones.
- 2 yellow onions
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 dried ancho chiles (optional)

Seasonings to throw in:
- Chili powder might be a good idea. I used a mix of regular New Mexican red powder with a dark Ancho chile powder to give a more smoky taste. Be creative, and use liberally.

- Cumin: couple Tbsp
- Paprika: 1 Tbsp
- Garlic powder: 1 Tbsp
- Apple cider vinegar: This stuff adds a sweet vinegar flavor that you will love. Worth buying a bottle if you don't have it and start using it in salad dressings (if you make those, I don't) and marinades.
- Soy Sauce: A couple shakes of the bottle
- Cacao powder aka chocolate powder: Whole Foods tells me it's a Mayan superfood, so I kind of HAD TO GET IT. Use 1 Tbsp, chocolate helps thicken the chili and deepen the flavor. You don't have to do this.
- Half a beer. Drink other half. Open another one.
- Small amount of Beef broth. Maybe half a normal size box.
- Hot sauce: throw in as much as you want, just take it easy to start

 

meatballs of fire

After a great, unhealthy weekend in New York City, I had a craving for something comforting. Covering something in tomato sauce is often where my comfort lacking brain heads, so off I went to the store in a quest to procure MEATBALL ingredients.

I really like making meatballs as I've found they are ridiculously EASY to make, and much better than frozen ones (and I don't want to die after eating). Here's the quick list of what you need

- 1 pound ground beef. Go with something like 85/15 or 80/20 fat content. Reward yourself. This is comfort meatball day. You want juicy meatballs.
- 1 Jar of your favorite tomato sauce.
- 1 package of your favorite pasta.
- 1/2 red onion
- 1 egg
- some old bread or breadcrumbs. Or buy bread, and chop up a couple pieces.
- 1 bunch parsely. This adds some of that italian flavor you know, and makes you feel good seeing something that resembles a salad in your meatball.
- parmesan or romano cheese
- crushed red pepper if you like em hot
- Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder

Mix all of this in a large bowl. Or a little bowl if you want to lose half your meatballs. Use your judgement on the amount of cheese, you can always start mixing and then add more. They should look something like this.

 

Smush that meat mixture together into your desired ball size. Big or small is ok, just try to make sure they are uniform in size. This will help them all cook evenly. 

When you actually cook the meatballs, the easiest way is to pan fry them to brown the sides, and then finish in an oven at 350. Take the meatballs out, throw em in the sauce, mix together with the cooked pasta, and boom, you are done. Comforting, juicy meatballs, covered in sweet tomato perfection.