The Nifty50 After Glow

We have a winner!

Rookie chili cook and Brit, Stewart Marshall (with loving support form his better half Jess) took the top honours in the chili cook off contest. Stewart's Kick Ass Brick Chili (could you elaborate on the "brick" part of the name, Stewart) took home a total points of 110.5 which translated into an average of 7.89 points. Vida Morkunas "Vida Caliente" was a close runner up with an 7.8 points. Sibylle's Chocolate Lover's Delight took home third place with 7.71. It was very tough to judge the different flavours and textures and in the end, most chili's ended up within a close range of each other (*Note: some of the later contributions were not tested by a large number of guests - boy were we stuffed - so the total point count does not do their entries justice.)

There was also a great spread of side dishes from several kind of cornbreads, guacamole, tortelini (the kids were thankful for it), cheeses, breads, dips, chips, salads, salsas and chipotle, that together with the Russell Cream ale cleaned the palate between tastings.

The desert table with Black Forest Cake, Death by Chocolate, Chocolate Pudding Streusel and a couple of other unnamed delicacies rounded the evening out.

Thanks to everybody who joined into the fun and made the evening one to remember!

The Run

It was raining fairly hard as we assembled, but as luck would have it, the heavens calmed by the time everyone reached the official start line on Mosquito Creek. Here is who toed the line: Glenn Pace, Sal Bugliarisi, Al Harman, Gary Robbins, Ryan Melcher, John Machray, Ean Jackson, Ryota Inoue, Patricia Barry, Sibylle Tinsel, Colin Freeland and little runners Max, EJ Powderhound, JoJoCheesepig and wonderdog Roxy.

The Swim

Bonus: It was a loonie swim, so everyone got into the pool for a buck! Here's who started the swim: Kathy Woolverton and her 2 kids, Jill Warland and Parker Juryn, Action Jackson, EJ Powderhound, JoJo Cheesepig, Csaba Ekes, Colin Freeland, Jon Husband the Whale Shark, David and Hanna Jensen, Ryota Inoue. (Who have we missed?)

The Chili Cook-Off

Goodness... there were a lot of people and a lot of chilis! This may well become an annual thing.

Poor Ryota (who was visiting from Japan) was the first to succumb to the the siren song of the chili cook-off. He wins Purple Heart(burn) recognition as the first to overeat. Honorable mention to Stewart Woolverton and John Machray who both ate raw habaneros. Many, many thanks to John Morgan and Andrew Harris from Russell Brewing Company for the coming to the rescue with a keg of Russell Cream Ale to put out the fires that spontaneously combusted during the course of the evening.

Photos from the evening are here. If you would like to add your photos, please upload them to your Flickr account, add them to the ClubFatAss group pool and tag them with Nifty50Triathlon2007

Chili Contestants

#	Chili Name	Chili Cook
1	Jackson's Snakebite Texas Chili con Carne	The Birthday Boy
2	Chocolate Lover's Delight	Sibylle Tinsel
3	Colin's Veggie Chili	Colin Freeland
4	Michele's Veggie Chili	Michele Sherstan
5	Smokey Cove Chili	David Jensen
6	Stew's Kick Ass Brick Chili	Stewart Marshal
7	Des's ? Chili	Desmond Mott
8	Valley Veggie Chili	Ethelyn/Craig
9	Death Run 100	John Machray
10	Route 666 - Ring to Ring of Fire	Glenn Pace
11	Make it up as you go	Eileen Bistrisky
12	Vida Caliente	Vida Morkunas
13	Gassy Jack	Steve Deller / Osler
14	Holy Smoke	Rick Arikado
15	?	Paul Cubbon

 

Chili Judging:

The list is long. Our apologies if we overlooked you. Thank you Pat Barry, Michele Sherstan, Mudrunner and Ms Mud, RunRik, Paul and Joan Cubbon, Steve Deller, Lisa Osler, Vida Morkunas, Sibylle Tinsel, Ean Jackson, Eileen Bistrisky, Kathy and Stewart Wolverton, Ken and Heidi McLeod, Steven and Sheila Threndyle, Sal and Daniella Bugliarisi, Stewart and Jess Marshall, Judy Wannamaker, Hanna Latkowski, Colin and Kirsten Freeland, Gary Robbins, Al Harman, Ryan Melcher, John and Linda Machray, Patricia and David Jensen, Desmond Mott, Ethelyn David, Craig Moore, Ryota Inoue, Gabi Kwan, Melissa Crosby, Jon Husband, John Machray and Jill Warland.

 

Place	Chili #																			Total	Av.
1	6	8.5	8		9	8		9		8	8	10		8	10	9	4	6	5	110.5	7.89
2	12													7	9	10	8		5	39	7.8
3	2	8	8		7.5	8	10	5		9	9	10	6.5		7		7	8	5	108	7.71
4	10		7		8	8		8		9	8	8	7		8	9	5	9	5	99	7.62
5	8		9	8	7.5	7	9	6	8	7	7	6	8.5		6		9		8	106	7.57
6	1	7	9		7	7	8	10		5	3	8	7		10	8	10	8	5	111.5	7.43
7	11		6		10	7		8		8	4	8	9	9	6		10	7	5	96.5	7.42
8	7	6	6		6.5	7	7	7		9	3	8	8		5	8	8	10	10	108.5	7.23
9	9		5		8.5	7		8		7	7	8	6		8		9		5	78.5	7.14
10	3	6.5		7	7.5	7		8	8	9	8	7	7.5		4		5		8	92.5	7.08
11	5	7.5	7		9.5	7		6		10	5	5	9		6		8		5	84.5	7.04
13	4	7	6	8	6.5	7		5	6	7	3	9	8	7	5		7		7	98.5	6.57
12	13*													8	6				5	19	6.3
14	14*																		5	5	5
15	15*																		5	5	5

(*Note: some of the later entrants were not tested by a large number of guests, so they may not have been allocated the points they might otherwise have earned.)

We will attempt to list all recipes here (please email to the hosts):

# 1 - Jackson's Snakebite Texas Chili Con Carne

Chili con Carne means "chili with meat" en Espanol. No beans in this chili, ladies and gentlemen! Unfortunately, the rattlesnake I'd planned to surprise you with was turned around at the border for some reason. Warning, not for children or the faint of heart unless accompanied by a liter of cool Russell Cream Ale.

• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 kilo boneless beef chuck roast cut into cubes
• 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons of chili powder
• 3-4 beer bottles of water
• 3 tablespoons of masa harina (cornmeal will do in a pinch)
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 3 tablespoons of fresh ground pepper
• 2 small cans of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 250 ml of salsa verde (I use homemade, but substitue a can in a pinch)
• sour cream
• 500 ml Russell Cream Ale (substitute bottled dark ale in a pinch)
• 1 shot of tequila
• 2 fresh habanero peppers, chopped fine (Texans would add a handful more, but even this many will cause most Canadians to faint)

1. Heat 1/2 the oil in your pot over medium heat until hot; brown beef in batches then remove from heat and put in a bowl. Throw in your chili powder and mix with the meat.

2. Heat the rest of the oil in same pot over medium heat until hot; add garlic, onions and saute. Add the beef and rest of the ingredients. Pour in your beer and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover tightly and simmer 1.5 - 2 hours or until beef is fork-tender.

3. Stir in masa harina and return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Serve with sour cream and a plastic rattlesnake if you can't find the real thing.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Sources: A variety of internet websites as well as having lived in Mexico and Texas, where folks take their chili very seriously.

# 2 - Chocolate Lover's Delight

This is a German recipe that claims Mexican ancestry and has been modified to include chocolate, coffee and beer. Nothing Texan about it. Beans and ground beef all the way. Smooth taste with a nice afterglow.

• 1000g lean ground beef
• 1 tblsp vegetable oil
• 3 chopped onions
• 1 bulb garlic minced
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• 4 fresh diced tomatoes
• ground cayenne pepper to taste
• 2 tsp ground cumin to taste
• 2 tsp (or more)
• ground chili powder
• 2 tblsp dried oregano
• 8 fresh chopped hot jalapeno or Thai peppers
• 2 tblsp dark cocoa powder
• 50g dark chocolate
• 500ml malt beer or dark ale
• 1 can of rinsed kidney beans

Sautee onions and garlic in the oil. Add ground meat and spices and brown. Add tomato sauce, fresh tomatoes and beer. Simmer for 3 hours (or more). Add kidney beans, simmer some more. Add beer to adjust thickness if needed. Add more spices to taste. Serve with Sibylle's special cornbread or rice.

Very loosely adapted from: Sinn fuer gute Kueche, Band 1, by Christine Bittermann

# 6 - Stew's Kick Ass Brick Chili

Like most stews, it's even better the next day. So do yourself a favour. Make it yesterday.

• 6 slices uncooked hickory-smoked thick bacon, cut into cubes
• 2 large yellow onions, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, if needed
• 5 pounds lean beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 x 28oz can whole tomatoes
• 21/2 cups canned beef broth
• quarter cup ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  

1. In large skillet, fry bacon over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, until crisp, stirring periodically. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a large stockpot.
2. Add onions to the skillet, reduce heat to low, and cook until onions begin to wilt and turn translucent (about 5 minutes). Using a slotted spoon, transfer onions to the stockpot.
3. Add vegetable oil to the skillet if needed (if there is sufficient bacon fat remaining for browning beef chuck). Sauté beef, a few cubes at a time, until just browned on all sides. As meat is browned, place in stockpot.
4. Add tomatoes and their juice to the stockpot. Crush tomatoes slightly with the side of a spoon. Stir in all remaining ingredients.
5. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam or fat that rises to the top. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 3 hours, until meat is very tender and sauce is thick.
6. Serve in deep soup bowls, along with saltines.

6-8 servings

Source: The Northern Exposure Cookbook, Ellis Weiner, Contemporary Books, 1993, ISBN 0-8092-3760-1

p.s. we would have been happier with more spice, but it gave a nice glow!

#8 - Valley Veggie Chili

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained
• 2 (12 ounce) packages vegetarian burger crumbles
• 3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

• Extra Special Secret Ingredients added to taste:

  • Paprika
  • Chipotle Sauce
  • Chocolate or cocoa powder
  • Honey
  • Maple Syrup
  • Vanilla
  • Cinnamon
  • More garlic
  • Love

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.

2. Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.

# 12 - Vida Caliente

Oh what a fun party last night!!! Here is the recipe to the chili I brought. It's from a recipe book I created (notebook) from clipping out recipes from magazines. This is vintage 1988, and I think it's fromGourmet. Those were the days :)

Ingredients

• 2 yellow onions
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 garlic head (with all its little cloves) shredded fine
• 3 pounds of boneless beef chuck, lean-lean
• 1/4 c. chili powder
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 1.5 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 2 Tablespoons paprika
• 1 Tablespoon oregano
• 1.5 Tablespoons dried hot red pepper flakes
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
• 1 can chicken broth
• 3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 19 oz can of red kidney beans - drained and rinsed
• 3 green bell peppers, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Assembly

In a kettle, cook the onion and the garlic in the oil, covered, over
moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until it is softened.

Add the beef - cook it over the heat, stirring and breaking up the lumps,
over 10 minutes, until the beef is no longer pink.

Add the chili powder, the cumin, the cocoa powder, the paprika, the oregano,
the red pepper flakes and the bay leaves and cook the mixture, stirring, for
about a minute

Add the tomato sauce, the broth and the vinegar, bring the mixture to a boil
and simmer it, covered, stirring occasionally for about an hour

Add the kidney beans, the bell peppers, and the salt and black pepper to
taste, and simmer the mixture, uncovered, for 4 hours, on minimum heat.

Discard the bay leaf.

Pour the chili into Gladware, let cool, place in fridge, let sit for a day
before serving. Add more water if necessary when reheating the chili.

**bonus ingredients**

I used about 4Tbsp of cocoa powder, not 1.5
I threw 1 jalapeno pepper and 1 serrano pepper (seeded) into the food
processor, together with the garlic cloves. Mucho caliente !!
Two hours into the simmer, the chili needed some liquid enhancement. I
poured in half a litre of French Rabbit (red wine) I found lurking in the
back of the fridge

#14 Wholey Smoke Chili

Thanks for the great evening! Sorry to have showed up so late, I should have dropped off my chili entry the day before to get into all the judge's tummys. Here's the recipe, more or less, there may or may not have been a secret spice ingredient added to the following:

• 6 dried Ancho chilis
• 6 dried red New Mexican chilis
• 2 dried Chipotle chilis
• 3 cups boiling water
• 1 tin red pimentos, drained (2 large whole pimento peppers)
• 2lbs boneless beef short ribs, cut in 1/4" cubes
• 1 lb boneless lean pork chops, cut in 1/4" cubes
• 2 medium cooking onions, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 3 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons low sodium beef broth powder
• ground Chipotle powder
• ground Cayenne powder

Remove all stems and seeds from dried chilis. Place in bowl or flat cake pan, pour boiling water over, cover to soak. Let stand for 15 minutes. After chilis have softened, puree with pimentos and soaking water in blender or food processor.

Sauté the meat until browned. Add onions and garlic, cook for 10 more minutes, stirring constantly.

Stir in cumin, oregano, honey, tomato sauce and beef broth powder and simmer for 1/2 hour.

Add the pureed chili paste and simmer another 1/2 hour.

Taste, adjust smoke flavour and/or heat by adding Chipotle powder (smokey heat) or Cayenne powder (heat)

Continue to simmer uncovered until correct chili thickness is achieved. Add water or beer from cook's ever present mug if thinning is required.

 

A Real Texas Chili, Eh!

I have been researching chili recipes, cook off traditions and scoring etiquette in preparation for next Sundays bash at the T/J's.

The debate in our house over beans or no beans has been raging for years (unrelated to the chili cook off next week I might add).  Never having lived or even been in Texas, my authentic Mexican chili (according to the German recipe book I gleaned it from) includes beans.  Action Jackson, born and bred north of the 49th, claims to know the secret of a real Texan chili...and insists there are no beans in a Texan chili.  Action Jackson must know - he did live a while in Texas! Heck, I thought chili was Mexican.

Well, the Texan's do take there chili seriously.  And not having beans in it is a matter of pride.  As Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States said: "Chili concocted outside of Texas is usually a weak, apologetic imitation of the real thing. One of the first things I do when I get home to Texas is to have a bowl of red. There is simply nothing better." 

Hm, we shall see!  I did discover that even though Texan's lay claim to the original chili, the tradition seems influenced by immigrants from Spain and Macedonia, among others.  The Mexican's meanwhile have this to say (in the Diccionario de Mejicanismos, published in 1959): “detestable food passing itself off as Mexican, sold in the U.S. from Texas to New York”

I am certainly looking forward to dinner on Sunday!

The Chili Dilemma (continued)

I went to shop for some of my chili ingredients today.  Jackson accepted my challenge to concoct his own "authentic" chili.  He found a rattlesnake meat supplier, but the rattlesnake got stopped at the border.  I am not kidding.  Instead of rattlesnake I got beef for Jackson, not the ground kind...apparently he is chopping the meat up to desired bite size pieces.

I had studied the lore of chili's over the last couple of days and went shopping with the thought in mind that I am going to create an "authentic" chili (no beans no ground meat) but use my bastard recipe (beans and ground meat) as a base to work from.  Just before the checkout, I realized that I don't really give a darn about authenticity when it comes to chili. Sorry, Texans!  Who gives you the right to claim the yummy chili as your own, exclude beans and ground meat?  Back went the chunk of beef and with determination I paid for the ground beef.

Really, you chili snobs, what it comes down to is the taste...I have my secret ingredients at the ready.  Let the battle of the chili's begin.

Oh, one last word.  With all this purist talk about Texan chili's, I fear we are scaring off the vegans and vegetarian.  Please do not feel intimidated and bring your vegetarian chili version before the judge.  It's the taste that counts.  Rules are there to be broken ;-)