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By now, you probably think that my friend
Spike was a terrible cook, but that's not
so. He was a diligent cooking student and
he knew what it was all about. I remember
some of the extraordinary beers and stouts
that he brewed. He could also make an excellent
chili. He once visited me in New Jersey and
insisted on making a batch of chili. He didn't
have all the ingredients that he needed but
did a great job of improvising. He started
the chili while I was at work and it would
have been superb except for one thing - he
fell asleep while it cooked. The burner was
set too high and the chili burned on the
bottom of the pot. Unfortunately, the burnt
taste took over the entire flavor of the
dish.
| chili con carne |
|
serves 8 |
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|
| 2 lbs. ground beef |
|
4 tbsp. chili powder |
| 2 cloves garlic, minced |
|
1 tbsp. paprika |
| 1 tbsp. olive oil |
|
1 tsp. ground turmeric |
| 2 large onions, chopped |
|
1 tsp. dried oregano |
| 1 green pepper, chopped |
|
1 tbsp. ground cumin |
| 1 stalk celery, chopped |
|
1/8 tsp. ground cloves |
| 2-28 oz. cans tomatoes |
|
1 tsp. ground coriander |
| 1-6 oz. can tomato paste |
|
1/8 tsp. ground allspice |
| pinch of sugar |
|
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon |
| freshly ground pepper |
|
1 can kidney beans |
| ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper |
Brown beef and garlic in olive oil over moderate
heat; add
onions, green pepper and celery and
cook
for 2 minutes,
stirring. Add remaining ingredients, except
for the kidney
beans, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and
simmer for 45
minutes. Rinse and drain the kidney
beans,
add to the sauce,
and simmer 5 minutes more. Serve over boiled
rice or
cooked thin spaghetti, if desired,
or simply
in bowls with
fresh bread.
Note: Ground turkey may be substituted for
the beef. To make
a vegetarian chili, omit the meat. Any spice
that is not available
may be omitted. Hot sauce can be substituted
for the cayenne;
however, the last four spices add a
distinctive
touch.
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