When I was thinking about what was the most appropriate dinner for the Superbowl, I thought that a good ole fashioned chili seemed like the way to go. I really, really love a good chili and am not too particular in terms of what style it is. My understanding of chili is that it developed in the Texas prison system as a way to feed a lot of people using relatively cheap meat. Different prisons developed their own special combination of spices to make what they considered to be the "best." From this tradition, a style of chili developed that doesn't include beans and instead is almost all meat. That is the style I made yesterday.
This recipe comes from Tyler Florence, though I adapted it a bit to suit my tastes a little more. I am working my way through his most recent cookbook and this recipe stood out as a really delicious chili and he, like I, served it with a corn pudding. The great thing about this recipe, in addition to the outstanding flavors, is that it (like all great chilis) cooks for a long time, meaning I was able to get it going, watch the UNC game, and then return to it a few hours later to finish the process.
All great chilis start out with a good base. In this case, I had 2 onions, a ton of garlic, a jalapeno pepper, and some canned chipotle peppers that were in an adobo sauce. Now, for those of you who have never had chipotle peppers, they are hotter than all get out, so be careful how many you use (they are, in fact, jalapeno peppers that have been dried). Along with that nice selection of ingredients, I created a spice mix that consisted of a couple of different types of chili powders (I have a chocolate chili powder, for instance), some ground coriander seeds, cinnamon, salt, pepper, paprika, and oregano:
Of course, essential to this dish, is the meat. Tyler Florence, in an attempt to bankrupt me, likes to use prime rib. I went with one grade down, but still the meat looked good. Here it is once I cubed it:
After browning the meat, I added everything from above to make this wonderful concoction:
I then added a little tomato paste and a 28oz can of whole San Marzano tomatoes, which I crushed with a wooden spoon. This left me with this pot, which I let simmer for the next few hours while I watched the game:
Finally, about 3 hours later, I used a potato masher to shred the beef. I also added some unsweetened chocolate at this point. From here on out, it's just a matter of letting it simmer until you're ready to eat:
While the chili was simmering for the final stretch, I started on the corn pudding. Because it's not summer, corn isn't in season here so I went with frozen. I can't wait to make this recipe again in the summer because I think it would be even more amazing with fresh corn. In any event, I mixed a pint of milk with a pint of heavy whipping cream. To that, I threw in some sprigs of thyme and more garlic. I then put the corn in the bowl and turned the heat to low. After about 15 minutes, it began to simmer, at which point I turned the heat off, covered the pot, and let the corn steep in the mixture. Here it is before covering:
After 15 minutes, I took the corn out of the liquid and cut off the kernels. With the kernels, I added chopped chives and a poblano pepper. I then strained the liquid mixture, returned it to heat, added some butter, and then some corn meal. I had both yellow and white cornmeal on hand, but my white cornmeal is higher quality, so I went with that. The mixture quickly thickens and becomes like a porridge. To that, I added the corn and other ingredients and you get this:
To that mixture, you mix in 3 egg yolks. With the 3 egg whites, you use a blender and beat them until they are stiff. You then fold the egg whites into the main mixture, which will make the dish very light and fluffy. This gets baked for about a half an hour and eventually this is what you have:
I served that with the chili, which I put some cheese and sour cream on:
This meal, I have to say, was one of my favorites so far. First, the corn pudding was awesome. The other corn pudding I tend to make comes from Grandma Lil and it chiefly uses cans of creamed corn and sugar. It is, to be sure, a really sweet dish, but there was something really light and fresh about this corn pudding. It wasn't sweet at all, except for the natural sweetness of the corn. That's why I think over the summer it would be even more amazing! As for the chili, it was really fantastic, too. For my tastes, it was the perfect level of spiciness. When you first take a bite, it doesn't really hit you and you get to enjoy the full flavor of the meat and spices. A few moments later, the heat comes on and it gives you a nice kick. However, the kick isn't overpowering and doesn't last too long, so it's not something that ruins your taste and prevents you from enjoying the rest of the meal.
All in all, a great game day. And while it was nice to have some good food, most importantly, the Tar Heels won.
