Chili fest input

[Robo410]

I am hosting a chili fest in August and would like some input from you all. (I'm fixing the main event, the guests bring sides salads deserts and their own beer.)

I am planning a red meat chili (lamb and cashews, black bean and black eye pea), a white meat chili (chicken, white beans) a vegan chili (pinto and rosales), rice with pidgeon peas, southern corn bread (not that sweet stuff lol) and a big pot of greens cooked with smokey sausage.

(If I were having more people, I'd also go with a Cincinati chili bar, but that will be for another occasion.)

Any other thoughts??

 

[GB]

How about something like this. I made it and it was very good.

 

[kitchenelf]

What fun that will be!!!! Here are two contributions – just for future reference – the chili had a velvety smooth texture and an underlying flavor that no one guessed – but they couldn’t stop talking about it – and the other is just a very satisfying spoon/cornbread.



BLACK BEAN CHILI w/pumpkin

6 Tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds lean/boneless pork, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 large onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 can (13 oz.) beef broth
2/3 cup cream sherry
1 can (14 oz.) stewed tomatoes
5 Tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
Cayenne Pepper to taste
Sea Salt to taste
1 can (15 oz.) pureed pumpkin
2 cups cooked black beans
Garnish: Cheddar cheese, sliced scallions

Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil in large pot and brown pork in batches over medium-high heat, adding more oil as needed. Once pork is browned on all sides, reserve. Add onion, garlic and bell pepper to the pot; sauté about 10 minutes. Stir in broth, sherry and tomatoes. Add spices, cayenne pepper and salt to taste. Stir well. Add pumpkin puree, stirring until smooth. Add black beans and browned pork. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally for 1 hour. Top with shredded Cheddar cheese, sliced scallions, for garnish.







Cheesy Spoon Bread

Part #1
1 4-oz. can green chilies, chopped
1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Part #2 Ingredients:
1 can cream style corn
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup cooking oil

Part #3 Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Method:

Take out seeds and veins from green chilies if using whole ones and chop. Otherwise, just use chopped ones.

Mix together all ingredients in Part #2. - set aside.

Mix together all ingredients in Part #3. - set aside.

Butter a 9 x 9 baking pan. Mix #2 and #3 together. Pour 1/2 of the batter into pan. Sprinkle 1/2 of cheese and all of chilies on top of this layer. Pour rest of batter on top of this and then top with remaining cheese.

Bake in 400-degree oven for 30 minutes. Cool a bit and serve.

For spicier cornbread add jalapeno peppers, Chalula is my new favorite hot sauce over Tabasco or cayenne for a bite.

 

[ironchef]

I am hosting a chili fest in August and would like some input from you all. (I'm fixing the main event, the guests bring sides salads deserts and their own beer.)

I am planning a red meat chili (lamb and cashews, black bean and black eye pea), a white meat chili (chicken, white beans) a vegan chili (pinto and rosales), rice with pidgeon peas, southern corn bread (not that sweet stuff lol) and a big pot of greens cooked with smokey sausage.

(If I were having more people, I'd also go with a Cincinati chili bar, but that will be for another occasion.)

Any other thoughts??

For the red meat chili, would lamb be the best choice only because it's not a meat that everyone may like? If everyone going to the party eats lamb then it's not a problem. I would use beef though because more people would be likely to eat it. True, there would be other options for them but I'm sure the people who eat beef but not lamb would still like to try it.

For the white meat chili I would probably use pork instead of chicken and make a Chili Verde. The pork will end up being more tender. The white beans would still be a good addition and it would add a nice touch and contrast even though traditionally it's not included.

The rest of the menu sounds good though. Good luck with the prep. The good thing about chili is that you only need one pot. Once you have everything cut and prepped it's easy going from there.

 

[jkath]

I'm with ironchef - I'm a serious carnivore, but even the smell of lamb is really tough on me. I would use beef for the red meat, unless, like he suggested, all love lamb.

I make white chicken chili and I actually really like it! I think that chicken is one of those universal meats that most really enjoy, whereas, pork is another story. I do know people who don't eat pork at all, but chicken is okay with them.

Sorry, Robo - now we've gone and messed with your meal!

kitchenelf, the pumpkin chili sounds like a winner for sure! What an awesome aroma there must be in the kitchen when you're cooking it!

 

[Robo410]

mess all you want! I am asking for other ideas for future events, and may just pick up one now for this one (about 10 days away.)


The lamb and cashew chili is one of my own developments and I'm "famous" for it. Uses ground lamb, crushed tomato, garlic, onion, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, hot chili powder, chipotle in adobo, black beans and black eye peas. Salted cashews go in last 10 min. People don't know it's lamb but can't put their fingers on what's different.

THe chicken is for the "I don't eat anything that's been birthed" crowd. It is a red chili, with corn and beer. And the vegan is for non meaters. (gonna base it on Belizian Stew Beans. uses Marie Sharps Habanero sauce.)

I view chili as a creation, and I like getting all kinds of suggestions. SO feel free to hand out advice, recipes, ideas, pepto bismol,

 

[Claire]

Since you're making more than one kind of chili, I say, go with the lamb. It's not like anyone HAS to eat it!!! Also, I guess I'm the only one to notice it, but lamb is getting less and less flavorful, half the time (especially in a spicy dish like chili) you probably couldn't even tell it was lamb (IMO, a shame).

A couple of times a year I make chili for my parties. Once a year it is my cousin's New Mexico Green Chili Stew, the other times it is the Cincinnati chili bar you mentioned. Both are close to unheard of here, and usually just disappear.

 

[BlueCat]

My brother & sister-in-law had a chili party at their house as a house warming when they first moved back to Chicago. I remember 4 of us made pots of chili for it so there would be enough for all the guests. It turned into a bit of a contest that year with people voting on their favorite. It also turned into an annual event for the next 17 years, through 2004, when they hosted the final party, because they were retiring to CA. It grew and grew - at one point I think they had 13 or 14 entrants to their chili party. My God, that kitchen and dining room got hot with all those pots simmering here and there. I noticed over the years that the chili got milder as the party goers got a little older too! It started out blazing hot! I know this isn't giving you many ideas for your party, but it was such a huge hit with people you just can't believe how they all looked forward to the annual event. We had a blast every year, with slightly different themes - like "Nightmare on Ionia St" and "Who Wants to be a Chillionaire?", and on and on.

I hope yours is a big success too!

BC

 

[Caine]

Try adding a couple of pieces of Mexican chocolate to the red chili. Two sections of one disk is enough to make a difference in a 5 quart pot of chili.

 

[Robo410]

yes the bitter chocolate is another secret seasoning. love it!

 

[BlueCat]

There are lots of secret weapons in chili making. I've cooked in cookoffs, and lots of people have little last-minute additions to the pot. I know I always liked a touch of lime juice at the very end of cooking. I also use a bit of white pepper in the seasonings because it adds a bit of "front bite" - the heat from white pepper hits at the front of the mouth. Lots of peppers heat up the back of the tongue.

BC

 

[Robo410]

right on, thanks

 

[Robo410]

the chili fest was held this evening. all went well. the lamb chili proved to be the hit of the night, although the red chicken chili had its admirers too. But alas there were leftovers, so we're finishing what we started on wed eve! kewl

 

[Claire]

When participating in a cook-off (I did this weekend, a hot wings cook-off in East Dubuque), I always vote to go with the unusual. About half the participants, maybe more, will go with something traditional. A few others will go for shock value (i.e., heat and more heat instead of other flavors). My neighbor did a combination of Thai curry and Jamaican jerk spices, and pulled in second prize for "most original". In fact, I think the wings could have used a good dose of salt, but didn't say anything because I'm an acknowledged salt-a-holic. Let's just say the wings disappeared and a good time was had by all. But .. when participating in a cook-off, I recommend going with something most people have not had before. Don't get weird, just make your dish have something original to it. Oh, neither I nor my neighbor got a chance to taste anyone else's wings, we got so busy.