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CHILE, CHILI, CHILIS & CHILLY |
CHILE -- (Chee-LAY) A long, skinny country along the western coast of South America.
CHILI -- (CHEE-lee) A food made of beef, seasoned with onions, garlic, chilis and various
spices.
CHILlS -- (CHEE-lees) The capsicum seed pods of a tropical fruit plant, mistakenly called
a pepper. Like apples and grapes, chilis are always referred to in the plural form.
CHILLY -- How you feel when the temperature drops below about 50 degrees.
HISTORY OF CHILI, 101
Over the years a number of people and places have claimed that they were the origin of
chili, but historians have pretty well established that chili originated in San Antonio
around 1840, where it was made and sold by street vendors. It was served by placing a
spoonful on a tortilla which was folded up on three sides to produce sort of an envelope.
Chili was made then, as it is today, by simmering diced beef and onions, seasoned with a
mixture of ground dry red chilis, paprika, cumin and oregano. The mixture of the spices
has been pretty well established at: 12 parts ground chilis, 5 parts paprika, 4 parts
cumin and 1 part oregano. The seasoning called Chili Powder, which is available just about
everywhere today, is usually blended in these proportions. If the chilis used in making
the seasoning are not spicy enough to suit your taste, cayenne pepper can be added to
bring it up to your particular level of masochism. Most people prefer to buy Chili Powder
off the shelf rather than to try to find the individual spices and mix their own.
In buying chilis in a market, the best indicator of just how spicy they are depends on
their size and shape. The larger chilis are usually milder than smaller ones. Also, the
fatter that they are in relation to their length, the milder. The bell pepper, which is
actually a variety of chili, being both big and wide is very mild; while the tobasco,
which is small and slender is one of the hottest. If a food seasoned with chilis is too
hot for your taste, add a few drops of lime juice to calm it down.
And now students, for your lesson in Spanish. There are three different words which are
used to mean what we call hot. Calor is used to describe something which cannot be
touched, Like hot weather. Caliente is something which can be touched, like a hot skillet
handle. Chilis, no matter how spicy they might be, are never said to be hot, they are
picante.
It's been called Bowl of Red, Chili con Carne and Truckstop Chili, but to the accepted
experts on the subject, it is simply Chili. The art of cooking chili naturally led to
organized competition to see who could make the best. Chili cook-offs are now held Just
about everywhere, but the one thrown each Thanksgiving by the Vagabundos del Mar ranks
among the best. Over the years, the cook-off held at Don Diego's place south of Ensenada
has produced a considerable variety of chili recipes with such colorful names as Colorado
Roadkill Chili, Mule Lip Chill, Train Wreck Chili, Rattle Snake Chili and even a pot of
stuff called Canadian Wild Moose and Skunk Chili. The contest lasts for just one day, but
the results might linger for a week or more.
No matter how simple chill is to make, someone always seems to be able to come along and
screw it up. I recently saw a recipe for chili which had won some sort of award. It called
for, among other strange ingredients, raisins and chocolate syrup. In my opinion, anyone
who would put raisins in chili would put grape jelly on a taco. Also, there is an old
saying that anyone who knows beans about chili knows that you don't put beans in chili.
It's hard to improve on simplicity when it comes to making a really good pot of chili.
CHILI
3 Pounds of Beef
2 Yellow Onions, diced
2 28 Oz. Cans of Tomatoes
2 Tsp. Chili Powder
6 Cloves Garlic, peeled and crushed
1 Tsp. Salt
Buy the cheapest cut of beef that you can find; arm, chuck, bottom round or whatever
the butcher is selling at the lowest price. Remove all fat possible and save. Cut, hack
and chop the beef into small pieces--real chili is never made with ground beef. Put about
half of the pieces of fat into a skillet over fairly high heat. When enough grease to coat
the inside of the skillet has been rendered out, remove and discard the pieces of fat. Add
the beef and cook until it is gray and no longer sticks together.
Meanwhile, in a heavy pot with a tight fitting lid, preferably an iron one, put the other
half of the fat from the beef and cook until you have rendered out about two tablespoons
of grease. Remove and discard the fat. Put in the onions, garlic and chili powder and cook
until the onions begin to soften. Transfer the beef into that pot, sprinkle in the salt
and add the two cans of tomatoes, including the juice. Using your hand or a fork, crush up
the tomatoes.
Cover and simmer over very low heat, just high enough to cause the liquid to bubble
slowly. It should be stirred now and then to prevent sticking. A certain amount of liquid
will cook out of the beef so water will probably not be needed. If additional liquid is
needed, add just enough water or tomato juice to keep the meat from burning. The beef
should be tender in about four hours.
Some people think that in order to make good chili, it has to be so spicy-hot that it
takes your breath away. Chili, like any other food, should be a pleasure to eat, not a
contest of wills. For those who feel that it needs a bit more spice, a dash of cayenne
pepper can always be added at the table.