Happy Memorial Day Weekend Geauga! The Geauga County Parks Department has fun programs all weekend, including night sky viewing and family canoeing. Visit your local Geauga County Public Library branch for one of their many events this week. Do you love chili? Read more about this delicious dish and learn how to make the best chili. We’ve got all this, and more, in this week’s edition of The Geauga News Weekly Roundup!
Events on Thursday, May 24th, 2018
Events on Friday, May 25th, 2018
Events on Saturday, May 26th, 2018
– Fairy Days at Heritage Farms, 6050 Riverview Road, Peninsula, Ohio, — 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Events on Sunday, May 27th, 2018
– Fairy Days at Heritage Farms, 6050 Riverview Road, Peninsula, Ohio, — 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
How to Make the Best Chili (Part One)
Chili gets a bad reputation as an indigestion inducing dish. If that’s the case, we have recipes to make that a worthwhile consequence. Whether you are a vegetarian or a meat eater, chili is the perfect food for memorial day BBQs, Super Bowl parties, picnics or just a gathering of friends. Keep reading to learn more about Chili and our best homemade chili recipe.
Brief History of Chili
Chili was first introduced in the early 1800’s. Legend has it that Spanish nun wrote down the first chili con carne recipe. Chili con carne means “peppers with meat.” It comes from the South American language of the Nahautl or Aztecs, from their word for pepper, xilli.
Despite popular belief, Chili is not from Mexico. Rather, it started in Texas. In the 1970’s, chili was adopted as the state dish of Texas. Traditional Texas chili has no beans. It’s made from venison, beef, pork, turkey, chicken or just vegetables.
Chili Debate
We grew up in Northeast Ohio with beans in our chili. Traditionally, chili doesn’t include beans. It is strictly meat, peppers and seasoned broth. Our recipe has no beans, but you can easily add them if you want. Adding beans helps you create a larger portion of chili and stretch your recipe. A Chili enthusiast may say you can’t put beans in chili. But as far as we’re concerned, you can add whatever you wish to your chili.
Best Chili Recipe
The trick to our chili recipe is cooking the chili in two “dumps.” Adding these separate batches of ingredients in the described order will result in a tasty chili full of flavor.
Equipment needed:
- Cast iron skillet
- Stock pot
- Wooden spoon
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Can opener
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
Ingredients:
- 1.5 pounds of mock tender
- 8 ounces beef broth
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 12 ounces beer
- 1 medium yellow onion (finely diced)
- 1 green bell pepper (finely diced)
- 1 tablespoon bacon fat
Dump #1
- ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- ½ tablespoon ancho powder
- ½ tablespoon powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 ounces chipotle peppers (chopped)
Dump #2
- 2 tablespoon cumin
- 1 package Sazon Goya
- ⅛ tablespoon brown sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- 3 Tablespoon Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
Finely dice the beef (about ⅛ to ¼ inch size). In a hot-cast iron skillet, add some of the bacon fat. When fat is hot, add meat. Sear the meat in batches (putting the meat into a bowl as it is seared) and add bacon fat as needed. In the same skillet, add the onion and cook until onions are browned. In a stock pot, lightly sauté the green pepper. Add the beef broth, beer and tomato sauce. Add the beef, onions and Dump # 1 and cook until beef is tender. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Add Dump #2. Cook for an additional 90 minutes, on medium, stirring frequently. Add salt if needed. Serve with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and corn bread.
Hungry for more? Keep reading for other chili recipes, the benefits of eating chili and occasions for eating chili. Check it out after Wednesday’s events!
Events on Monday, May 28th, 2018
Events on Tuesday, May 29th, 2018
Events on Wednesday, May 30th, 2018
How to Make the Best Chili (Part Two)
Other Recipes
There are so many variations you can choose to make your chili your way. If you don’t want to use beef, you can substitute red meat with many other proteins. We’ve used tempeh as well as soy crumbles in place of meat. Regardless of which protein you use, the key to a good chili is a hearty stew finish. Alco, make sure you have proper starch to complement your chili. Some prefer cornbread while others prefer oyster crackers or Ritz-style crackers.
The Benefits of to Eating Chili
There are multiple reasons to eat chili. The first reason is protein. Whichever recipe you choose, your chili should be an excellent source of protein. The next benefit for eating chili is fiber. Even if you don’t use beans in your recipe, peppers are an excellent source of fiber. The next benefits are the Vitamin C and capsicum present in peppers. Capsicum increases endorphins and serotonin levels — so chili can actually make you feel happier! Chili peppers decrease sugar and fat cravings. They also help regulate your blood sugars.
Occasions to Bring Chili
Regardless of the season, chili is suitable for all temperatures. Chili is excellent on hot dogs during picnics. It’s a satisfying meal at children and adult birthday parties. Chili is an excellent side dish or main course at barbecues on Memorial Day and the 4th of July. Try Thanksgiving Chili with your leftover turkey. Share a pot of your homemade chili at a housewarming party.
It doesn’t matter what the occasion, chili is always an appropriate dish to bring along. Chili is adaptable to any dietary preference or restriction, making it the ultimate food to share. It’s easy to make, it just takes time and the right recipe. Try making some chili yourself this weekend!
Will you try our best chili recipe? Do you have a homemade chili recipe of your own? Write to drafts@geauganews.com and tell us about it!
Come Back Next Week for More Local Events in Northeast Ohio!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s edition of The Geauga News Weekly Round Up! Be sure to check in next week for more local news and events in your area. Have a great weekend!
Have an event you want to see in next week’s edition? E-mail us your story: drafts@geauganews.com
