Time for Chili! (or a variation or two)

It’s chili time! My kids are so excited, every year they get to compete in one of their favorite cooking competitions, the annual Serenity Chili Cookoff. We’ve had fun picking out and adjusting chili recipes to make them unique. This year the Watson family will have two teams: Miles will create a “Pork Picadillo Chili” and Olivia & Keena will create “Mexican Chocolaty Chili” They did pick these names out themselves and lucky for me, they were willing to  share their recipes on my blog.

The timing of the Serenity Chili Cookoff is perfect, just in time to get us in the mood for the ultimate Chili event, The Superbowl..which we will be sporting Green & Gold for! Go Pack Go! The cookoff is tomorrow evening at Serenity Assisted Living in Dilworth, 1125 Oakview Dr from 5 to 7pm. It is open to the public, so if you are wondering what to do for dinner, come on over and vote for the Pork Picadillo Chili or the Chocolaty Chili..(or both, they always have multiple prizes)

We try to be unique and veer from the “normal” chili….anyone can do that! This year I think they outdid themselves in creativity! Hope the judges think so too… If you are feeling adventurous, I encourage you to try one of these recipes.

Olivia & Keena’s Mexican Chocolaty Chili

serves 4

4 tbsp vegetable oil

2 medium onions, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 pounds lean ground beef

2 16 oz cans kidney beans, drained

2 16 oz cans tomato puree

2 6oz cans tomato paste

1 cup fresh whole anaheim or poblano chiles (roasted, peeled and chopped to make 1 cup)

1 cup water

4 oz bittersweet chocolate

4 tbsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup beef stock

Heat the oil in a heavy stockpot over medium heat. Add the meat to the pot and brown. Stir in the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 2 to 3 hours. Stir occassionally and add more water as needed. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

Miles Pork Picadillo Chili

serves 12

6 pounds shredded pork

5 tbsp ground red chile (we bought dried chiles, roasted them slightly over an open flame and used a coffee grinder to grind them up.

1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp dried oregano

8 garlic cloves, crushed

4 bay leaves (grind with a coffee grinder)

2 tsp gumbo file

3 tsp ground cumin

3 tbsp bittersweet chocolate

1 tsp paprika

1 tbsp salt

1/3 cup bacon drippings

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp masa harina (corn flour)

4 12 oz cans beer

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped green olives

1/4 cup capers

1 cup toasted and chopped almonds

Combine beef with the ground chile, cayenne, oregano, garlic, bay leaves, gumbo file, cumin, cinnamon, paprika and salt.

Heat the bacon drippings in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the meat/spice mix to the pot and brown. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for 2 hours. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Simmer for 10 hours, add more beer or water as neeeded.

Be sure to have all of your garnishes ready for both chili’s. We like shredded cheese, sour cream, scallions, cracker or tortilla chips etc…

We’ll see if either of these are winning recipes tomorrow!!!