What Makes A Good Chili?

Chili recipes are always up for debate. Like pasta sauce and French toast, how it's made is up to the individual home chef. Some add ground beef, others prefer lamb, A few home recipes calls for more beans than chilis. What's the best recipe to use? Stick with the basics and build from there.

That's what New York Times Food great Sam Sifton wrote about in today's Wednesday 's issue. Chili always causes a great debate. everyone has his or her own opinions on it He suggests starting with the bare bones of the recipe, using fellow co-writer Julia Moskin's chili formula. The most important ingredient is protein. Whatever you use, make sure it is high in fat and flavor. Use a quarter of a pound per person. What's the best meat? Mr. Sifton recommends chuck beef from the steer's shoulder,however short ribs and brisket are also good choices.A good idea is mixing cuts. Add stew meat to ground. Pork can also work as can lamb. You can go low calorie with chicken or turkey but remember that they can dry out. if this is the case, Mr, Sifton suggests a few strips of bacon to keep things juicy. Dark meat can also be used because its' got  fat too or you can use duck meat which is also rife with fat. Game meats such as venison, buffalo and even moose (!)along with marsh duck and pheasant. Vegans can add beans or fake beef crumbles as I do.Many Texans consider adding beans to be sacrilige but they can add more flavor and more protein

The next big debate are the chilis used. Mr. Sifton gives a entire list with their definitions. Most people, including myself, just use a heaping tablespoon or two of chili powder, an amalgam of dried chilis , paprika dried oregano and dried garlic. Authentic chilis use poblanos. These are big green peppers that are not too wild in their heat. Their color changes to red as they ripen. These are perfect for those who don;t want a five alarm bowl. For a sweeter and smokier mix try blending in ancho peppers. They can range from mild to medium hot, The pasilla pepper is a dark chocolate brown color of moderate pungency and brings a great deepness of flavor. Of course jalapeno brings spark to the table. Smoke and dry it and then transform into a chipotle. Chimayo is a New Mexican genus and its deep adobe red hue turns the chili the same rich brick color,Another suggestion from Mr. Sifton is also using chili powder along with the actual chilis themselves.  You can make your own powder . A good recipe is taken from Texas restaurateur Robb Walsh. It's toasting three ancho peppers in a pan, allow them to cool and add half a teaspoon of pan roasted cumin seeds. Garlic powder and dried oregano are also added. Everything is ground in a spice mill. An easier way is just add a heaping tablespoon of commercial chili powder to the mix

Chili is in the eye of the beholder. Stick with whatever works and whatever is delicious. It's the kind of recipe that c n be varied if you want  something new.

Time For Alaska - Baked Or Otherwise

All eyes are turned towards Alaska where Sarah Heath Palin hails from. McCain's running mate (and let's face it - an odd choice if there ever was one) hails from this state, rich in natural resources. As much as we know about Hawaiian cuisine we know very little about Alaskan.

What do Alaskans eat exactly? Insert Baked Alaska joke here.

Seriously, Alaskans are a tough rugged people. descended from the indigenous tribes, hardy settlers and adventurous prospectors. They had to rely on what was around them as opposed to shipments from the Lower Forty-Eight. Alaskan cuisine is rich in seafood, primarily salmon and trout. Halibut also figures largely in it as do the famous Alaska King Snow Crabs. The seafood is from local waters and is used in a variety of ways , mostly in steaks and fillets.

Meat is also an important part of the diet. Caribou and moose recipes abound with the meat being used in much the same way as beef.It can be made into strews, burgers , meat loafs and even meat loaf. You can also find reindeer which also can be used in cooking.

Here's another dish I just found while researching this cuisine -Akuqat or Eskimo ice cream. It's not what you think It's whipped and sweetened reindeer fat mixed in with berries and seal oil. This is found primarily in western Alaska. If anyone out here has ever tried it, please write in. I 'm curious as how this might taste along with the texture.

Alaskan cuisine reflects the hardiness and the resourcefulness of its' people. It abounds in locals meats and seafood, taking where it can to provide food.


PS Baked Alaska is not from this great state. It originated at the famed Delmonico's in New York City during the 1860's The dish came about in the early 1800's and went under the name omelette norvegienne.