chili that is green

The definition of "chili" is kind of weird, right?  First, there are chili peppers. Then there is the chili (con carne) that I grew up with (with beans and tomatos). And then there is green chili (chili verde), common to New Mexico and Colorado (at least), which seems to be a sauce more often than a standalone meal.

Anyway, my intent when creating this recipe was to make something like the chili I grew up with, but make it from green things instead of red things. Hence "chili that is green." And also of course, to make it sin carne. The result is something that actually more closely resembles a split-pea soup or gumbo than a chili, but it has some heat to it, and tastes pretty good.

Hominy is really good. Really good at creating islands of interesting texture. Also, liquid smoke is so key.

Ingredients:
Margarine or oil
2 medium onions
2 1/2 c. dry split peas
3 c. okra
2 c. roasted green chiles, peeled and chopped; to taste
1 1/2 c. hominy
1 1/2 c. edamame
1 bulb garlic
1 tomato, green or yellow
1/2 c. celery (optional)
water

3 bay leaves
1 1/2 T. oregano
1 1/2 T. cumin
2 t. coriander, ground
2 t. coriander, whole
3 t. liquid smoke
½ t. filé powder (optional)
1 T. salt
black pepper to taste

chocobean chili

Like Eric said in the previous post, we had a vegetarian chili cook-off for my birthday.  It was by far my best birthday ever!  Why?  Because my friends are awesome!  We had 10 delicious entries with a whole lot of variety in style.  This chocobean chili was my contribution. 

inspired by this recipe
Serves: 15

Ingredients:
6 c. cooked black beans (2 3/4 c. dry)
---
3 red onions, diced
2 large yams, cubed
4 red bell peppers, diced
1 head of garlic, minced
olive oil
2 T. salt
---
2 (28 oz.) cans of crushed or diced tomatoes
2 c. red wine
3/4 c. chili powder
1/2 c. sugar
1 (7 oz.) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
2 T. ground cumin
2 T. oregano
1 T. paprika
3 oz. bakers chocolate, shaved

Cook the beans.  Toss the second batch of ingredients (red onion - salt) into a large pot.  Cook over medium heat with a cover on for about 15 minutes.  Add the beans and the third batch of ingredients.  Reduce to a simmer for a minimum of 45 minutes.

chocolate chili corn muffins with whiskey cream sauce

Last night, a friend hosted her second annual Iron Chef birthday potluck. This year's theme ingredients were chocolate, cayenne, and whiskey. Julie and I had fun coming up with and preparing this dish. Working with constraints can really open up creativity. I mean, really, who thought whiskey could taste so good in so many things? Also, we discovered a new favorite, chocolate chili!

hot sauce

I've been experimenting with making hot sauce from last summer's dried chili peppers. Lots of the hot sauce recipes out there have many ingredients, but I found a simple recipe foundation on Bob DuCharme's weblog:

Basic Ingredients:
2 or more peppers of any kind
1/2 c. vinegar
1 t. salt

Update: These three ingredients are the sole ingredients of Tabasco sauce, which is aged for up to three years in white oak barrels before being sold.

Remove stems from peppers if fresh. Boil the vinegar and blanch the peppers for 2-3 minutes (if fresh) or enough to soften up dried peppers. Puree all ingredients and funnel into a container. Don't stick your nose in the blender--this stuff burns! You might want to open some windows too. The flavor will improve with age, so wait a week before using the sauce.

Here's the three variants I've made so far, using our "hopped-up honey vinegar" that we accidentally made from our "braggot" (hop mead). It isn't a strong vinegar and may still be part alcohol. It tastes a bit like lemonade; the hops gives the hot sauce a slightly fruity or citrus flavor.

#1 (front left in photo)
1/2 dried habanero peppers
1/2 c. hopped-up honey vinegar
1 t. salt

#2 (front right in photo)
1 t. seeds of various peppers
1/2 c. hopped-up honey vinegar
1 t. salt

#3 (hiding in the back in photo)
3-4 dried chiles de árbol, seeds removed
2 cloves garlic
1/2 c. hopped-up honey vinegar
1 t. salt
1 t. arrowroot powder

And here's a bunch of additional ingredients/options to try:
Grill/roast/smoke the peppers
Sugar/honey/molasses
Garlic
Ginger
Lime/lemon juice
Onion
Tomato
Apple cider or other vinegars
Cilantro
Oregano
Cocoa, cinnamon, sugar (for mole-type sauce)
Tequila or other alcohol to replace vinegar

Some form of starch (flour, corn starch, arrowroot, etc.) can be added to make a thicker sauce.

So far, I like #3 best, because of the slightly thicker consistency and garlic. The habanero one (#1) is good also, but I think all three of them could be hotter. I don't know though, maybe I'm just building up a tolerance for hot sauce from tasting these. Julie says they're all plenty hot.