Consider chili for your Super Bowl spread
The Super Bowl is one of the most -- if not the most -- important sports events of the year. It is a time when people get together, not around a table, but around the biggest television they can find.
That is not to say, however, food is not an important component of a Super Bowl gathering. Food is a central part of watching the big game, and you can be the star of the show.
The easiest thing to do is to go to the local deli and get a sandwich platter. No one will complain, but no one will be very impressed either. Maybe just chips and dips? That's a bad idea, too.
Perhaps the best bet is to make something hearty, maybe with a good kick to it, a one-pot wonder that will satisfy everyone, and make no serving demands during the big game. Good money says a pot of homemade chili would be just right.
Chile con carne, chili with meat, came to us from Mexico. In its most fundamental form it is meat, beans, tomatoes and chili peppers, but that is where the fight starts and goes on without end.
Some insist that beans should never be put into chili, and probably made their way into the dish after its introduction to Texas. Some people even argue over whether to use tomatoes.
Some like chili spicy; some like it volcanic hot. Chili certainly is a dish where personal and regional preferences come into play.
Garnish: All the chili recipes can be garnished with cheese. A good cheddar works well, but there is hardly a cheese that would not be good with chili. Cover the surface of the chili with cheese and run under broiler until bubbly and hot; now you have created a chili gratin.
Other good garnishes included chopped green onion, sour cream, nacho chips, diced jalapeños peppers or other hot peppers, depending on your guests' tolerance for heat. And, don't forget the cornbread.
BASIC CHILI
2 pounds ground chuck
1 chopped onion
1 chopped bell pepper
4-6 chopped cloves of garlic
1/4 cup of chili powder
1-2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon cumin
1 large can whole tomatoes
3 cups cooked pinto, kidney or black beans
Cooking oil
Salt and pepper
Sauté the beef in a little oil, along with all of the seasonings until well done. Remove and set aside. In the same pan, without washing or wiping away the oil and leftover bit, add the onion and bell pepper, add more oil if needed. Cook 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add the beef back to the pot, add the tomatoes and 1/3 cup of the beans (to help thicken), simmer for 20 minutes, taste and re-season as necessary. Add the rest of the beans, cook 5 minutes longer and serve piping hot.
WHITE CHILI
Some grocery stores carry an already roasted turkey pot roast, composed of leg and thigh, that is perfect for this recipe.
2 pounds shredded roast turkey, dark meat preferred
1 chopped red onion
1 chopped bell pepper
4-6 chopped cloves of garlic
1/4 cup of chili powder
1-2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon cumin
2-3 cans chicken stock
3 cups cooked great northern or canella beans
1 can whole green chiles
Sauté the onion and bell pepper in a little oil for 10 minutes, add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add the chili powder, paprika and cumin, and cook 5 minutes more, add the stock, 1/3 cup of the beans, and a few pieces of the fattest turkey and simmer for 45 minutes.
Add the balance of the turkey and beans and cook for 10 minutes more. Julienne the green chilies and use as a garnish.
HEARTY CHILI
1 pound boneless beef short ribs
1 pound Italian-style fresh sausage
1 chopped red onion
1 chopped bell pepper
2-3 chopped jalapeños
4-6 chopped cloves of garlic
1/4 cup of chili powder
1-2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon cumin
2-3 pinches red pepper flakes
1 large can whole tomatoes
1-2 cans vegetable stock
3 cups cooked black beans
Cooking oil
Salt and pepper
Sear the beef in oil until well-browned, remove and set aside. Add the sausage and cook until just starting to brown well, remove and set aside.
Add the onion, bell pepper, and hot peppers, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more.
Add the chili powder, paprika, red pepper flakes, and cumin and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the beef, sausage, tomatoes, and one can of vegetable stock and simmer for at least one hour. When the beef is tender, it is done.
Add the beans, cook for 10 minutes more, taste and re-season as necessary. Add more stock as needed.
This story was originally published January 28, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Consider chili for your Super Bowl spread."