Charlotte's Chili

I am blessed with having so many wonderful cooks in my life. My own mom (I think I remember eating fast food about 3 times growing up - honestly) as well as my mother in law. Two incredible ladies. Two incredible cooks. (Oh and my sister too - she's a caterer - see what I mean?)

Well I could talk for hours about any one of them but tonight is Charlotte's - my mother in law's turn. Charlotte LOVES experimenting and tweaking and pushing a recipe to its limits. People are always asking her why when she makes something, it tastes so much better than when they do! Well, I can't give you her secrets, though I can tell you, it never hurt a pound cake to add another egg to it. Oops I've already said too much... The point is - recipes were meant for fiddling once you've mastered your landing gear in the kitchen.

Anyway, not long after we met she made me the most wonderful book of her favorite recipes put together in a neat, tidy binder. Many of them are still my all time favorites - but the front runner has to be Charlotte's chili. One of the first times my husband and I went to visit her she'd just cooked up a pot and I almost fell out of my chair when he put ketchup and mustard on his!

'What the hell's wrong with this chili that you have to put hot dog condiments on it?' I secretly and silently wondered.

Well it turns out not a damn thing. The chili is perfect (the additions were a personal quirk of his.) Hearty and comforting yet clean and refreshing at the same time. The thing about it is, it equals more than the sum of its parts. Nigella's chili for example, which I'm a huge fan of, has an ingredient list that reads like a college thesis compared to this. And in a pinch, I'd have to pick Charlotte's. While Nigella's fits a certain hunker down for winter mood, Charlotte's works on a snow day like today (really, NY? Really?) as well as it does on an August night just after the crickets come out.

I've never told Charlotte this but her chili was the first thing I made when we moved to New York. We were in corporate housing - an apartment in Hell's Kitchen with a spectacular view of the Hudson - with buildings peering in all around us like nosy neighbors, and I was so excited and stimulated by being here that I had to make something just to anchor me down.

So I made Charlotte's chili. And as we ate it watching the cats tool around the new apartment like private detectives, I knew that everything would be alright. And it was.

One final note - something unique that I almost didn't remember about this chili is the fact that you don't drain the red kidney beans. I'd gotten so used to chefs yammering in my ear about how important it is to drain and rinse canned beans, I almost went against Charlotte's instructions. Don't. This is one case at least where they're wrong. (On a similar subject - in The Pioneer Woman Cooks, Ree Drummond rails against the hatred of seasoned salt, such as Lawry's and says she's all for it. Go Ree! Have you gotten her book yet? It's fantastic.)

Charlotte's Chili
* This is easy to put together but it does need an hour to simmer.
* Serves 4, but chances are you'll want extra to freeze so you might double this.
* I made the mistake of eating this with a little yellow mustard over it last time to see what the heck is wrong with my husband and it is indeed delightful. Funnily enough, he seems to have given up the habit.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small to medium onion (preferably Vidalia or Spanish) chopped
pinch salt and pepper to season
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bell pepper, chopped (I like yellow or red, Charlotte likes green)
1 pound lean ground beef
1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, such as San Marzano
3/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
2 oz (1/4 of an 8 oz can) tomato sauce
1 (15 1/2 oz) can red kidney beans, UNDRAINED
pinch cayenne pepper or chili powder
small pinch fresh cracked pepper

Grated sharp cheddar cheese, for serving

Instructions:
Put a large lidded dutch oven over medium heat. Add the oil and let heat through for 30 seconds before putting in your onions. Season the onions with a little salt and pepper and saute, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and bell pepper and cook another 2 minutes, then add the beef breaking it up lightly with a wooden spoon and cook until just browned, stirring occasionally - about 10 minutes.

Add in the can of tomatoes (juice and all), salt, tomato sauce, beans, and seasonings, stirring well. Reduce the heat to medium low, place the lid 3/4 the way over, and simmer for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so to make sure the bottom's not burning (I actually have to keep my burner on low the whole hour to prevent this.)

Taste for salt, making any adjustments necessary and serve with shredded cheddar, and or mustard or ketchup over the top.

Slow Supper Sundays - Chicken Chili with White Beans, Jalapeno, and Rosemary

Have I ever told you how I feel about leftovers?

Hmm... How do I say this and maintain ladylike behavior. Oh forget it - I hate them. Despise them. Loathe them.

Microwaving their flacid remains the next day, their texture always disappoints. I don't even recognize some of my favorite recipes when I try to 'repeat' them. I just get angry, then sad, then embarrassed for my little plate of food, having lost its moment of glory.

There are a few exceptions, however. My pork enchiladas, in the previous post, that can be reheated in the oven or even microwaved (you'll lose the texture - but they're so damn good who cares), soup, and chili.

This chicken chili is my latest love. I am having an affair with it. It is so good, it's embarrassing. It makes me blush.

And as with most affairs, mine is accompanied by shame. Here's my confession - are you ready? I've never cooked with dried beans before. I found the whole idea of soaking them daunting and exhausting. I was lazy. I reached for the ease and familiarity of the can.

But I have to say - if you have the time - don't be the cowardice I was. Soaking is easy and they're nothing to be afraid of. If you're unsure of their doneness you can always test them for doneness just like pasta, then cook them longer if needed.

Alright - enough about beans. Actually one more note - this may sound odd, but you'll notice that in the recipe, I recommend having another 4 cups (1 box) of low sodium chicken stock on hand. This is for two reasons.

1) Depending on the brand of beans you buy/temperature of your burner/grace of God - your beans might absorb more stock than you would suspect while they cook and soften, drying up your stew like a sponge.
2) Everyone likes their chili a little different - some thicker, some thinner. So it never hurts to have more stock within reaching distance.

What surprises me about this recipe is how well rosemary works with oregano and cilantro. As I've advised, if you can get a hold of a store bought Rosemary chicken - do so and even though you remove the skin, let some of the prickly rosemary leaves stay with the meat. If you can only find a plain rotisserie chicken - don't panic - just up the ratio of addition fresh chopped rosemary to 1/2 teaspoon. The beauty of this recipe is that like all chilis, it gets better with time. You could make it earlier in the day and let it simmer away on low until you're ready to eat (adding stock as necessary if it dries out too much) or even make it a day ahead, refrigerate it and reheat. I'll shut up now. My lover's calling me.

Chicken Chili with White Beans, Jalapeno, and Rosemary
Serves 6.

Ingredients:
1 pound dried navy beans, rinsed thoroughly under cold water
5 cups low sodium chicken stock, with an addition 4 cups (box) at the ready
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 heaping cups chopped red or sweet (Vidalia) onion
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
fresh cracked black pepper, plus additional for seasoning
2 jalapenos, seeded, ribs removed, and finely chopped (if you like it hotter, keep the seeds and feel free to add more)
3 fat (5-6 small) garlic cloves, minced - about 1 1/2 tablespoons
1/2 store bough Rosemary Rotisserie chicken, skin removed and cut into bite-sized chunks
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3/4 tablespoon dried oregano
1 small cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Sour cream, for serving

Instructions:
Place the well rinsed beans in a large dutch oven (I use my 5 qt Le Creuset - a worthy investment in my opinion) and cover with water, filling to the top. Place the cover over and set aside in a cool place in the kitchen for 4 hours.

At this point drain them and rinse again well in a colander (even rinse out the pot you soaked them.) Return the beans to the pot along with the 5 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil over high heat while you begin the rest.

Heat a separate, large rimmed nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add butter and olive oil, letting heat through for 30 seconds, then the chopped onions. Season with salt and a good grating of fresh black pepper (or 1/4 teaspoon dried if that's what you have) and saute, stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes until they begin to turn light pink and translucent.

Add the jalapenos and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring every so often. Clear a space out in the pan for the cumin, and add it, letting it 'toast' for a couple of minutes before stirring into the rest. Add the garlic, cinnamon stick and an additional small pinch salt, and cook for another 5 minutes, just until the garlic softens and mellows (don't let the heat get too hot or it will burn - you just want a kiss of heat to mellow it out versus frying the crap out of it.)

At this point, the onions should be really well cooked and have lost a lot of volume in the pan with a couple of bits beginning to caramelize. If not, cook another few minutes until this occurs.

Add the onion mixture to the boiling beans and stock, along with the dried oregano and fresh rosemary. Stir in to incorporate and let boil another 10 minutes (if your stock has dried up - add more starting with a cup or two as you need to maintain a 'sea' for your ingredients to get to know each other in.) Remove and discard the cinnamon stick, then add the chicken and cilantro and lower the heat to a simmer for 30 minutes. Check the beans for their tenderness and the chili for salt. If the beans are still too al dente - continue cooking for another half hour or until they're at the consistency you like. Adjust salt seasoning, if necessary and serve with a dollop of sour cream on top.

Chili Night to ease back into the work week with the Horns.

There is nothing sadder than returning to real life after the holidays. Every second that goes by on this last Sunday of freedom seems to taunt me, as if I could be doing more interesting or exciting things to make the most of it. But as we have friends coming over tomorrow night to watch the Texas Longhorns play Ohio State on the Fiesta Bowl, I'm making chili.

Yes, it's ANOTHER riff on a Nigella recipe, and it's unique in that it has dark chocolate in it. No one will ever know, and if you have a foodie-phobic crowd coming over you can omit telling them as well as remove the cardamom pods before you serve it (though I like discovering their floral bite in my bowl.)

What your guests don't know won't hurt them and all they'll think is that it tastes damn good.

2 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, chopped into smallish dice
2 fat garlic cloves, minced
Plenty of kosher or sea salt to season as you go along
6 cardamom pods, gently bruised with one of your tomato cans
2 heaping tablespoons of cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (feel free to up this if you like more of a kick)
1 cinnamon stick
1 dried ancho chili
3 pounds lean ground sirloin
2 (26 oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans, juice and all
1 cup red wine
2 oz good quality dark chocolate, chopped or broken into chunks (I like Godiva)

Tortilla chips or Fritos, for serving
Sour cream
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In your LARGEST dutch oven (there's a lot of food here, but it freezes beautifully), add about 4 tablespoons of olive oil, or enough to thoroughly coat the bottom. Bring to medium heat for a few seconds, letting heat through, then add your onions. Season well with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, about 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and cook another 2 minutes.

Using your wooden spoon, scoot the onions over to one side clearing an empty space to 'toast' your spices (this is a Lydia Bastianich tip to enhance flavor, and I love it.) Then add your ancho chili, red pepper flakes, cumin, coriander, and cinnamon stick to the cleared space, giving each of them their own little space. Let them 'toast' for 3 minutes - you can spread the cumin and coriander out a bit so it toasts evenly. Stir in all of the spices, incorporating them well into the onions.

Add your ground sirloin, breaking up with your wooden spoon so it can begin to brown. Season WELL with salt (remember you have a ton of meat in there - I do about a tablespoon of kosher salt during this step.) Stir occasionally and continue to cook until all the meat has browned, about fifteen minutes.

Add your whole tomatoes and their juice, and stir in the tomato paste. Use your spoon to break up the tomatoes, then gently stir in the beans and red wine. Raise the heat and bring the chili to a simmer. Stir in the chocolate pieces until they melt into the chili.

At this point, you want to simmer the chili over low heat with the cover partially on for an hour and a half, stirring every so often to make sure the bottom isn't burning. However, I've served it after just a half an hour's worth of simmering with no complaints.

Taste for salt before serving and adjust accordingly. (This is also an excellent thing to make the day before a party, then just heat up gently on the stove or in the oven on 350 with the lid on for 30-45 minutes until heated through, possibly stirring in a little low sodium chicken stock to loosen it if it's become too thick.)

Remember to remove the stem of the ancho chili and the cinnamon stick. Serve with bowls of sour cream, sharp cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips or Fritos for people to dress their chili as they please.