One of my circles of friends is a tight group who have known each other for 25 years and stay in regular touch and occasionally (every ten years or so) organize meet ups even though we live on different side of this continent as well as in Europe. One of my Irish friends who lives in Scotland had never had a bowl of proper chili before--or, indeed, any chili at all--so she challenged the USA contingent to provide recipes that she would make and share with Irish and UK friends who would then score the submissions. The scoring categories were Flavour, Texture and Substance, and Fussiness. 10 points possible for each category, with "fussiness" being a higher score for an easier recipe. Out of four recipes submitted, mine won by seven points over the 2nd place recipe. I got 27/30. I lost 3 points on "fussiness". Fair enough. The Texan contingent here on AR may be happy to know that mine was the only recipe with neither tomatoes nor beans.
Here is the recipe I sent in. It goes into some detail about ingredients and techniques because these were all new to the cook and the judges in question. Surprisingly to me, my Irish friend had access to a Mexican market in Glasgow. She was able to find everything except Mexican oregano. (Also, she's got coeliac disease, which is why I mentioned gluten free beer.)
Anyway, I'd love feedback on my recipe. I'm always open to ideas for improvement.
Equipment:
Chef’s knife
Chopping board
Large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed stock pot.
2L Saucepan
Spatula or cooking spoon
Large mixing bowl
Ladle
Blender
Ingredients:
4 Costeño chiles (can sub Spanish choriceros)
4 Chiles de arbol (can sub 1 dried scotch bonnet)
4 Pasilla chiles (can sub anchos, but pasillas have a unique smoky-raisiny flavor)
1.5 L rich beef stock
2 Chipotles in adobo sauce
2 tablespoons adobo sauce (from chipotle can)
2 kg boneless chuck roast, cut into 5cm cubes
Salt & black pepper
3 tablespoons beef tallow
1 jumbo white onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon powdered cinnamon
2 tablespoons ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
1 bottle (12 US oz - ⅔ UK pint - 355 ml) beer. (Something malty and low in hops is ideal.
Amber lager or red ale if you can find gluten free. Plain lager if you can’t. FWIW, I use Dos Equis Ambar Especial.)
3 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
4 tablespoons masa harina (This is a particular type of cornmeal that’s been made from corn processed with calcium hydroxide, aka “lime”. It’s not interchangeable with regular corn flour or cornmeal. Maseca is a popular brand in North America. You can use yellow or blue, but don’t use instantánea.The good thing about probably having to buy a big bag when you only need 4 tablespoons is that you can use it to make homemade tortillas if you’re feeling adventurous!)
Hot sauce, to taste. (Popular Mexican brands are El Yucateco Rojo and Tapatío Original. El Yucateco brings the heat, but also has great flavor. Tapatio is lower in Scovilles, but very flavorful.)
To serve, use your choice of the following: Queso Cotija, American Monterey Jack cheese, or mild/medium Cheddar. Crema Mexicana or sour cream. Lime wedges. Chopped fresh cilantro leaves. Chopped white onion. Chopped fresh jalapeňos. Sliced radishes. Soft corn tortillas, warmed through (highly recommended).
Instructions:
Costeño, arbol, and pasilla chiles are all dried styles of chile. Remove the stems and seeds. Put the dutch oven over medium high heat. Toast the dried chiles, stirring and flipping frequently, until they are fragrant and just starting to darken. Depending on how hot your stove gets, this can be anywhere from two to five minutes. Use your nose to determine a nice toasty aroma, and don’t let the chilis smoke. If you burn the chilis, you will have to start over, I’m afraid. Transfer toasted chilis to saucepan, and cover with 1L beef stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Allow to cook for 20 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Transfer the simmered chiles and their cooking liquid, along with the chipotles and the adobo sauce, to a blender and process until smooth.
While the chiles simmer, generously salt and pepper the beef cubes. Melt tallow in the dutch oven over medium high heat. When the tallow is slightly shimmering, but not smoking, add 1 kg of beef cubes in one layer. Brown the beef on one side, then flip it and brown on the other side. You don’t need to brown it all over. Remove browned beef to the mixing bowl, then repeat the process with the 2nd kg. Remove the beef.
If you need to, add some more tallow to the dutch oven. Add in the white onion and saute, stirring, until it is slightly translucent. Add the garlic and saute, stirring, until it’s fragrant and every so slightly golden in color. Add in the cinamon, cumin, and allspice. Stir well for about one minute, until the spices are nice and fragrant. Deglaze the dutch oven with beer. Scrape up all the browned bits. Add Mexican oregano and stir. Add the beef cubes back to the dutch oven. Cover them with the pureed chilis. Add more stock or beer to just cover the beef. Stir it up. Bring it to a low boil, then drop the heat to a simmer. Allow it to gently bubble away for two hours with the lid slightly ajar. After two hours, check the liquid level and add more stock if necessary. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Stir in the masa harina and mix it in well. Return to a simmer for another 30 to 60 minutes. The chili is done when the beef is fork-tender and the sauce is slightly thickened.
Serve with warm corn tortillas and your choice of the condiments listed above. And good beer.
Here is the recipe I sent in. It goes into some detail about ingredients and techniques because these were all new to the cook and the judges in question. Surprisingly to me, my Irish friend had access to a Mexican market in Glasgow. She was able to find everything except Mexican oregano. (Also, she's got coeliac disease, which is why I mentioned gluten free beer.)
Anyway, I'd love feedback on my recipe. I'm always open to ideas for improvement.
Equipment:
Chef’s knife
Chopping board
Large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed stock pot.
2L Saucepan
Spatula or cooking spoon
Large mixing bowl
Ladle
Blender
Ingredients:
4 Costeño chiles (can sub Spanish choriceros)
4 Chiles de arbol (can sub 1 dried scotch bonnet)
4 Pasilla chiles (can sub anchos, but pasillas have a unique smoky-raisiny flavor)
1.5 L rich beef stock
2 Chipotles in adobo sauce
2 tablespoons adobo sauce (from chipotle can)
2 kg boneless chuck roast, cut into 5cm cubes
Salt & black pepper
3 tablespoons beef tallow
1 jumbo white onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon powdered cinnamon
2 tablespoons ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
1 bottle (12 US oz - ⅔ UK pint - 355 ml) beer. (Something malty and low in hops is ideal.
Amber lager or red ale if you can find gluten free. Plain lager if you can’t. FWIW, I use Dos Equis Ambar Especial.)
3 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
4 tablespoons masa harina (This is a particular type of cornmeal that’s been made from corn processed with calcium hydroxide, aka “lime”. It’s not interchangeable with regular corn flour or cornmeal. Maseca is a popular brand in North America. You can use yellow or blue, but don’t use instantánea.The good thing about probably having to buy a big bag when you only need 4 tablespoons is that you can use it to make homemade tortillas if you’re feeling adventurous!)
Hot sauce, to taste. (Popular Mexican brands are El Yucateco Rojo and Tapatío Original. El Yucateco brings the heat, but also has great flavor. Tapatio is lower in Scovilles, but very flavorful.)
To serve, use your choice of the following: Queso Cotija, American Monterey Jack cheese, or mild/medium Cheddar. Crema Mexicana or sour cream. Lime wedges. Chopped fresh cilantro leaves. Chopped white onion. Chopped fresh jalapeňos. Sliced radishes. Soft corn tortillas, warmed through (highly recommended).
Instructions:
Costeño, arbol, and pasilla chiles are all dried styles of chile. Remove the stems and seeds. Put the dutch oven over medium high heat. Toast the dried chiles, stirring and flipping frequently, until they are fragrant and just starting to darken. Depending on how hot your stove gets, this can be anywhere from two to five minutes. Use your nose to determine a nice toasty aroma, and don’t let the chilis smoke. If you burn the chilis, you will have to start over, I’m afraid. Transfer toasted chilis to saucepan, and cover with 1L beef stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Allow to cook for 20 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Transfer the simmered chiles and their cooking liquid, along with the chipotles and the adobo sauce, to a blender and process until smooth.
While the chiles simmer, generously salt and pepper the beef cubes. Melt tallow in the dutch oven over medium high heat. When the tallow is slightly shimmering, but not smoking, add 1 kg of beef cubes in one layer. Brown the beef on one side, then flip it and brown on the other side. You don’t need to brown it all over. Remove browned beef to the mixing bowl, then repeat the process with the 2nd kg. Remove the beef.
If you need to, add some more tallow to the dutch oven. Add in the white onion and saute, stirring, until it is slightly translucent. Add the garlic and saute, stirring, until it’s fragrant and every so slightly golden in color. Add in the cinamon, cumin, and allspice. Stir well for about one minute, until the spices are nice and fragrant. Deglaze the dutch oven with beer. Scrape up all the browned bits. Add Mexican oregano and stir. Add the beef cubes back to the dutch oven. Cover them with the pureed chilis. Add more stock or beer to just cover the beef. Stir it up. Bring it to a low boil, then drop the heat to a simmer. Allow it to gently bubble away for two hours with the lid slightly ajar. After two hours, check the liquid level and add more stock if necessary. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Stir in the masa harina and mix it in well. Return to a simmer for another 30 to 60 minutes. The chili is done when the beef is fork-tender and the sauce is slightly thickened.
Serve with warm corn tortillas and your choice of the condiments listed above. And good beer.
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