"Carl's Lounge" (Off-Topic Discussion, Traditional Knife "Tales & Vignettes")

I've probably had chili a hundred ways, and liked them all. As long as it has plenty of cumin, I'm good.

Some of the stranger ones:
• chili with corn instead of beans (corn seems VERY Mexican to me, so OK)
• black bean chicken chili
• chili with peanut butter stirred in

This last one is interesting. A friend and I were talking about chili and I said I always liked chili with peanut butter, and he said, "Me too!" I like the contrast between the spicey chili and the earthy peanut butter, so I usually have crackers or toast with peanut butter to accompany my bowl of chili. When I explained this, he said, "No, stirred into the chili." Well, I've never heard of this before or since.

The chicken chili is so different from red meat chili (we use pork and beef together) that to me, it's really just soup and not chili at all. Still good, though. I've also had and enjoyed chili with rice and beans all together, with plenty of chopped green peppers and onions, and chili mac (chili added to left over spaghetti with meat sauce or even macaroni and cheese).
 
Jack Black said:
A debate that has the potential to get heated Will (groan)! :D Excellent link my friend, if a little weird (someone has gone to a lot of trouble there)! :rolleyes: :thumbsup:

Obviously, I am not in a position to give an informed opinion on the chilli debate, but enjoy hearing about it from our friends across the pond :) :thumbsup:

W1F0JLD.jpg


(Beans, but no meat in this one!! :eek: :eek: :D :thumbsup:)

Edit - Just thought of a question - As well as a good splash of Henderson's Relish (obviously ;)) I sometimes add a little dark (up to 100% cocoa solids) finely chopped chocolate, just a couple of squares, about five minutes before I finish cooking the chilli. You can't taste the chocolate, but I think it kind of brings out the chilli flavours. Does anyone else do that, or have I behaved abominably? :eek:
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Well, as tasty as that dish surely is, that is not what we mean by Texas chili! (Are those mushrooms in the picture? Never heard of mushrooms in chili. But I wouldn't eat ANYTHING with mushrooms--but that's another topic).

I am not the ultimate authority on this, but I am a native south Texan of largely Mexican descent, and have been eating chili all of my life. It was probably made by ranch cooks in this area, but I remember reading about the "chili queens" selling chili in the main plaza of San Antonio in the 19th century, a few blocks from the Alamo. That is what probably popularized it outside of the ranches, as San Antonio is kind of a crossroads here in Texas. It was declared the State Dish by the legislature in 1977.

The two most important ingredients are beef and chile peppers, usually dried. You may have a few spices, but not much else. It's really just a spicy beef stew, cooked slowly till the meat is tender. Never heard of chocolate being added, although that is one of the ingredients of some mole (two syllables) sauces from Mexico that are delicious. I like adding fresh chopped white onion at the table. Some people add shredded cheese (usually cheddar--English touch!), and maybe hot sauce or jalapeños if it is not spicy enough.

And accompanied by the beer of your choice. (Lone Star Beer used to be good, when it was brewed in San Antonio. The brewery closed decades ago, and does not taste the same. It's VERY different, actually). Cheers!
 
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My late mother in law had a great chili recipe that included beans, ground beef, tomato paste, chili powder, sautéed Vidalia onions, shredded extra sharp Cracker Barrel cheese added. Any additional heat desired was added later. I was not a huge fan of it for years but my tastes have changed and it's great during cold weather. It has no added liquids so it's fairly thick.
 
Hope our English friends don't mind I'm a few days late
On 25th of October,1854 the British light
calvary, under the command of Lord Raglan was directed to a frontal assault against the wrong artillery battery. Under extremely heavy canon (air burst and grape shot)and musket fire the brave troopers made it to line, due to lack of numbers was unable to take advantage. They were forced to retreat. Suffering great many casualties. The Charge of The Light Brigade has gone down into history as an example of both the sad outcome of poor leadership, but most importantly the gallantry and bravery of the British soldier.
The following link I mean as a tribute, hopefully it doesn't offend anyone
 
r8shell said:
Chocolate is used in mole (pronounced mo-lay) sauces, so it's acceptable. :cool::thumbsup:

Traditionally, Texas chili is made without, but I'll bet poor folks often added beans to stretch the food budget.
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Glad to hear there's precedent Rachel - kind of ;) :D :thumbsup:

I usually have it with beans, sometimes as many as 3 different types, sometimes without. Sometimes I add corn towards the end, sometimes not. Just about every chilli I've ever had has been different, but I'm afraid I've not yet had Texas chilli - well not in Texas anyhow :) Curry is a much more popular dish here :thumbsup:

Prester John said:
Well, as tasty as that dish surely is, that is not what we mean by Texas chili! (Are those mushrooms in the picture? Never heard of mushrooms in chili. But I wouldn't eat ANYTHING with mushrooms--but that's another topic).

I am not the ultimate authority on this, but I am a native south Texan of largely Mexican descent, and have been eating chili all of my life. It was probably made by ranch cooks in this area, but I remember reading about the "chili queens" selling chili in the main plaza of San Antonio in the 19th century, a few blocks from the Alamo. That is what probably popularized it outside of the ranches, as San Antonio is kind of a crossroads here in Texas. It was declared the State Dish by the legislature in 1977.

The two most important ingredients are beef and chile peppers, usually dried. You may have a few spices, but not much else. It's really just a spicy beef stew, cooked slowly till the meat is tender. Never heard of chocolate being added, although that is one of the ingredients of some mole (two syllables) sauces from Mexico that are delicious. I like adding fresh chopped white onion at the table. Some people add shredded cheese (usually cheddar--English touch!), and maybe hot sauce or jalapeños if it is not spicy enough.

And accompanied by the beer of your choice. (Lone Star Beer used to be good, when it was brewed in San Antonio. The brewery closed decades ago, and does not taste the same. It's VERY different, actually). Cheers!
Click to expand...

LOL! I remember your mushroom aversion my friend! :D Yes, I often use them, I like mushrooms :) I have added white onions when serving too, quite like them :) Of course, when it comes to chilli, I would always defer to you folks across the pond :thumbsup:

Now, my mother made a mean chilli - mean, like everything else she made! :eek: There was very little in it, and my mother couldn't cook good toast, let alone chilli! :D :thumbsup:

Wurrwulf said:
I like beans and meat in my chili. I also prefer to replace any liquids (water, stock, etc) in the recipe with a darker beer like Negra Modelo (cheap and available) or a stout.
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Very interesting Shawn :) I don't usually use stock or water in my chilli, just tinned tomatoes or passata (I usually use fresh ones too). I do sometimes add a little red wine :thumbsup:

Misplaced Hillbilly said:
Hope our English friends don't mind I'm a few days late
On 25th of October,1854 the British light
calvary, under the command of Lord Raglan was directed to a frontal assault against the wrong artillery battery. Under extremely heavy canon (air burst and grape shot)and musket fire the brave troopers made it to line, due to lack of numbers was unable to take advantage. They were forced to retreat. Suffering great many casualties. The Charge of The Light Brigade has gone down into history as an example of both the sad outcome of poor leadership, but most importantly the gallantry and bravery of the British soldier.
The following link I mean as a tribute, hopefully it doesn't offend anyone
Click to expand...

Thanks for that David :) :thumbsup:
 
I have a recipe that I came up with for "Taco Chili". The base is a typical chili tomato sauce with some tomato paste. But everything from there is pretty non-traditional, I add a can of spicy Mexican tomato sauce called El Pato (The Duck) and I mix ground beef with Carlita brand taco seasoning and also add an additional two packets of it to the sauce. For the "fixins" I add Kuner's Jalapeno Black Beans (see pic), corn, diced green chiles, diced green pepper, diced red pepper, diced anaheim pepper and diced red onion. I serve it with shredded cheddar, sour cream and tortilla strips... the people at my office chili cook-off loved it so much I won "Best Non-Traditional Chili Recipe" ;):thumbsup:

I think it is evident at this point that I love making and eating all kinds of chili :D My wife laughs at me when the calendar turns to October because I dub it "Soup and Chili Season" :)
 

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black mamba said:
I've probably had chili a hundred ways, and liked them all. As long as it has plenty of cumin, I'm good.

Some of the stranger ones:
• chili with corn instead of beans (corn seems VERY Mexican to me, so OK)
• black bean chicken chili
• chili with peanut butter stirred in

This last one is interesting. A friend and I were talking about chili and I said I always liked chili with peanut butter, and he said, "Me too!" I like the contrast between the spicey chili and the earthy peanut butter, so I usually have crackers or toast with peanut butter to accompany my bowl of chili. When I explained this, he said, "No, stirred into the chili." Well, I've never heard of this before or since.

The chicken chili is so different from red meat chili (we use pork and beef together) that to me, it's really just soup and not chili at all. Still good, though. I've also had and enjoyed chili with rice and beans all together, with plenty of chopped green peppers and onions, and chili mac (chili added to left over spaghetti with meat sauce or even macaroni and cheese).
Click to expand...
Agreed on the cumin Jeff... to me, cumin along with the chili powder itself add the flavor that most people perceive to be "chili". :thumbsup:

In Wisconsin the big debate is always about whether or not chili should have noodles (macaroni or spaghetti). I don't like it with spaghetti, I can tolerate it with macaroni but I prefer it without noodles. I think each region is a little different... I wonder if @btb01 Barrett can find us a map of chili traditions by region? :D
 
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I like to start with dried pinto beans, soaked overnight, drained, then cooked until tender. Ground beef cooked in a large cast onion pan with onions and garlic, drain off the fat. Add New Mexico chili powder to taste along with salt and pepper. Mix in chopped tomatoes, a little celery and bell pepper. Add the cooked beans to the meat and let simmer for several hours. Serve with chopped green onions, grated cheese, and sour cream.
 
Jack Black said:
A debate that has the potential to get heated Will (groan)! :D Excellent link my friend, if a little weird (someone has gone to a lot of trouble there)! :rolleyes: :thumbsup:

Obviously, I am not in a position to give an informed opinion on the chilli debate, but enjoy hearing about it from our friends across the pond :) :thumbsup:

W1F0JLD.jpg


(Beans, but no meat in this one!! :eek: :eek: :D :thumbsup:)

Edit - Just thought of a question - As well as a good splash of Henderson's Relish (obviously ;)) I sometimes add a little dark (up to 100% cocoa solids) finely chopped chocolate, just a couple of squares, about five minutes before I finish cooking the chilli. You can't taste the chocolate, but I think it kind of brings out the chilli flavours. Does anyone else do that, or have I behaved abominably? :eek:
Click to expand...
Ancient Incas and neighbors used cocoa like we use pepper, not sweetened, so it's a good idean doing this!:thumbsup:
 
You guys are making me hungry - and I only just ate! :D :thumbsup:

Interesting about the cumin, I use ground cumin and cumin seeds quite a lot, but have never used either in a chilli. I'll have to give it a try :) :thumbsup:
 
Jack Black said:
You guys are making me hungry - and I only just ate! :D :thumbsup:

Interesting about the cumin, I use ground cumin and cumin seeds quite a lot, but have never used either in a chilli. I'll have to give it a try :) :thumbsup:
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Beans or no beans, spicy or mild, it's gotta have cumin!
Otherwise, you're just making some kinda soup. ;)
 
Looks like my musings about the authenticity of Chili have unleashed a storm :D And good thing too, foods and wines always divide yet humorously unite people:cool:

I've not added Corn as I only like it grilled on the cob with lashings of butter:cool: but I have introduced some frozen peas at the last minute to sweeten things:) Even added bacon and or chorizo to the mix..basically it's like omelette recipes, your own is the very best (add truffle to omelette and you will never favour anything more:thumbsup:) Pizza is a divisive dish too, mine has minimalist toppings which give in my view, maximal pleasure. The HORROR of the junk mess that people will put on them:eek: kebab meat, chicken, pineapple all manner of filth :D:eek: Cumin is grown in fields around here, it reeks and I abhor it, surpassed only by any kind of aniseed, liquorice or this repulsive salmiaki salted liquorice that most of this country are obsessed with :poop::D

Can you put Marzipan with Chili? I love the stuff :)
 
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