It is only two weeks until Super Bowl and if you are planning a watch party, chili is really the big dish.  It makes party giving so-o-o easy.  Just make a big batch and set out bowls and some garni or fixin's 'n mixin's for the chili such as   grated cheeses, chopped onion, pickled jalapeno and sour cream with fresh lime wedges. 

I just love to serve my favorite Blue Corn Parfait Bread with it also.  Guacamole, salsas and chips  are great  appetizers.  Statistics are, by the way, that more avocados are sold for that weekend than any other time throughout the year.  Assorted cookies or a beautiful layer cake make a yummy dessert.  Just in case you don't have my favorite chili recipe--Bowl o Red ,  I am including it.     

Our fresh pure chiles and blue corn make chili and cornbread the best.  Our Super Bowl Chili Gift Box has it all and is on sale--making it the perfect gift for a hostess or for you to have all the  spice ingredients   and blue corn for creating the meal. For the next three days, I am offering free shipping on our red chiles, cumin and blue corn flour....so you can stock up for chili making.

I am also continuing our special half price discount on our February 15-17 full participation weekend cooking school.  And the payment program for Oaxaca is still available--all week.

Here's the recipes--

Bowl O’ Red - Classic Chili Recipe

The influence behind this chili recipe came from my maternal grandfather, who when working with the Santa Fe Railroad learned how to prepare it from the “cookies,” or trail cooks.  It has won numerous chili cook-offs and is one of the really true original chilis.

2 Tablespoons shortening, preferably solid shortening such as lard or butter
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 pounds beef chuck, cut into ½-inch cubes
3 medium-size garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼ cup ground hot chile or to taste
¼ cup ground  mild chile
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
About 3 cups water
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
 
1. Heat lard in a large heavy pot over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until softened.  Remove from heat.

2. Add meat, garlic, ground chiles and cumin to pot.  Break up any lumps.  Stir in the water and salt.  Return to heat.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 2-1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender and the flavors are well blended.  Add more water if necessary.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

3.    Serve with fixin’s ‘n mixins’ of coarsely grated cheeses, pickled jalapenos, chopped onion and sour cream with lime wedges garnished with a “ruffle” of red chile.

Jane's Southwest Recipes and more great ideas for cooking with chiles are in her cookbooks--all available from us.

Speedy Chili

This is quite a respectable chili: however, it’s not the original Bowl O’ Red, my favorite. This version is made with ground beef to speed up the cooking time, whereas the “Bowl” recipe is made with hand cut cubes of chuck, requiring much longer cooking. Making lots of chili at a time is always a good idea as it really does improve with age. Serve with coarsely shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses mixed, pickled jalapenos, chopped onion, and sour cream with lime wedges laced with red chile. This chili, with so much of all the natural oxidative power of red chile, will actually freeze quite well for a year.

1 pound ground chuck (80 percent lean)

½ cup onion, chopped (1/2- inch dice)

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tablespoons Freshly ground pure mild red New Mexican chile

1 4 ½-ounce can water-packed stewed tomatoes, diced

1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin, or to taste

½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 15-ounce can pinto beans (optional)

1. Crumble the meat into a heavy, 5-quart Dutch oven-type pot. Saute over medium heat until the pink color disappears. Tilt the pot and spoon out any visible fat. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and continue simmering for 3 to 5 minutes, until the onion becomes soft and clear.

1. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the chile, tomatoes, cumin and salt. Add the beans, if using (see Note). Return to the heat and simmer for anther 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust to seasonings. If time allows, refrigerate for a day or two so the flavors can develop. If not, serve immediately.

Note: Many Western chili buffs prefer to cook the chili and beans separately, then serve the beans on the bottom of the bowl, and topped with the chili.

Per Serving: Calories 261, Protein 21 g, Carbohydrates 11 g, Fiber 3 g, Fat 15 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, Cholesterol 72 mg, Sodium 592 mg, (Analyzed without beans and with 80 percent lean ground beef)