A Chili Cook-Off Brings Out the Spice of Life

Who makes the best chili? Everyone seems to have a favorite chili recipe and the varieties are almost endless. Get your friends involved in a friendly competition by hosting a chili cook-off.  Your invited guests each bring a pot of their favorite chili.  You provide cold drinks, corn muffins or crusty rolls, and toppings. Use small bowls so your guests can try small amounts of each type of chili. Set up chili pots and toppings on a buffet, so everyone can pick as they please.

Get creative with toppings. Sour cream, grated cheddar cheese and oyster crackers for sure. But also try sliced scallions, snipped cilantro, chopped avocado, sliced black olives, roasted red peppers and lime wedges.

If you’re the competitive sort, have everyone vote on his favorite chili and provide a prize to the best.

The best accompaniments to chili?  Try a southwestern salad with corn, black beans and cilantro, or a cucumber salad in yogurt dill dressing. For dessert, ice cream sundaes will cool those palates.

The Internet is chock full of chili recipes.  I haven’t taste tested these, but here are a few interesting chili recipes gleaned from thousands on the Web.

• FamousChiliRecipes.com has beaucoup chili recipes, from the spiciest chili to seafood chili, vegetarian chili to crockpot turkey chili.

• Here’s a chili recipe from allrecipes.com that calls for steak sauce and bacon. Mmmm!

• Bon Apetit at Epicurious has this recipe for Black Bean Chili with Crispy Pork and Poblano Salsa.

• Shoppers Choice has soup bowls and a serving bowl in a chili pepper design that is perfect for a chili cook-off party.

• Take some tips from the experts – The International Chili Society, which hosts the world chili cook-off every year.

Now, here are four of my favorite chili recipes.

Diane’s Kickin’ Chili
The kick is in the type of chili powder you use. If spicy is not your thing, use regular chili powder. If you want a dab of spice, use ancho chili powder – it has a smoky, slightly spicy flavor. If you want hair on your chest, use hot Mexican chili powder, Indian chili powder or anything with flames on the label. Uncle Steve’s Hot Stuff Web site even has habanero chili powder. Oo-chi-wawa!

• 3 pounds beef, cut into cubes
• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 green peppers, seeded and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes
• 3-6 tablespoons chili powder (your choice, based on how hot you like it)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1⁄2 teaspoon brown sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 16-ounce cans dark red kidney beans, drained

In a large soup pot over medium heat, brown beef and sausage until cooked through. Remove meat and drain out most of the fat. With the remaining fat in the pot, add onion, green pepper and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Add spices and brown sugar and a little bit of juice from the canned tomatoes; stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add canned tomatoes, with juice, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Add beans and continue cooking for 15 minutes.

Chicken Chili
Sometimes called “white chili,” this recipe is perfect for guests who are avoiding red meat.

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
• 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 16-ounce cans diced tomatoes
• 1 cup black olives, sliced in half
• 1 ⁄2 bottle of beer
• 2 cans of white beans, drained

Brown chicken in 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan until cooked through. Remove to a platter using a slotted spoon and reserving the pan drippings. Heat the pan drippings and remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil over high heat. Stir in onion and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes. Stir in red peppers and jalapeno peppers. Saute over medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, coriander and cinnamon. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the chicken, tomatoes with juice, black olives and beer. Simmer over medium heat for at least 15 minutes. Add beans at the end.

Your Grandma’s Chili
Remember chili from the 1950s? Here’s your basic chili, just how you remember it.

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 28-ounce can tomatoes
• 1 large or 2 small bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1 15-ounce can dark red kidney beans

Crumble and brown ground beef in a heavy skillet. Add onion and green pepper; cook until almost tender. Add tomatoes and seasonings. Cover. Simmer gently for two hours adding bean liquid and water a little at a time, if needed, to keep consistency of thick soup. Add kidney beans; heat through. Remove bay leaves.

Cincinnati Chili
This southern Ohio dish is unlike any other. Served over spaghetti, this saucy chili has been a Cincinnati favorite since 1922 when Macedonian immigrant Tom Kiradjieff started serving it in his Greek restaurant.

• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 pound extra-lean ground beef
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa or 1/2 ounce grated unsweetened chocolate
• 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 16-ounce package uncooked dried spaghetti pasta

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, saute onion, ground beef, garlic, and chili powder until ground beef is slightly cooked. Add allspice, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, cocoa or chocolate, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cider vinegar, and water. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 1 1/2 hours. Remove from heat. Cook spaghetti according to package directions and transfer onto small oval spaghetti plates. Ladle chili over spaghetti and top with grated cheddar cheese and chopped raw onion. Serve oyster crackers on the side.